Donald and Melania Trump are publicly demanding ABC fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he joked about the First Lady having 'the glow of an expectant widow.' Kimmel defended the remark as a light roast, not a call to violence, while the Trumps and others condemned it as hateful and divisive rhetoric.
Donald and Melania Trump have called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel following a controversial joke he made last week, describing the First Lady as having 'the glow of an expectant widow.' The former President labeled the remark a 'despicable call to violence' and 'far beyond the pale,' urging ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney Co., to terminate Kimmel immediately. Melania Trump echoed these sentiments, condemning Kimmel's 'hateful and violent rhetoric' as an attempt to divide the country and accusing ABC of providing cover for him. Kimmel, during his Monday night monologue, defended the joke as a light roast about the couple's age difference, clarifying it was 'not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.' He expressed regret for any 'traumatic and scary experience' caused but also suggested President Trump address hateful rhetoric with his own husband. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, and the National Religious Broadcasters association also weighed in, with the latter filing a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, linking such rhetoric to a culture where violence feels thinkable. ABC has not yet commented on the situation. Kimmel has a long history of targeting Trump in his comedy and was previously suspended and reinstated by ABC after controversial comments, later signing a contract extension that keeps him on air until May 2027.
