President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are calling on ABC and its parent company, Disney, to take action against comedian Jimmy Kimmel after a late-night monologue joke about the first lady sparked a wider political dispute. Kimmel addressed the controversy during his Monday broadcast, pushing back on claims that his comments encouraged violence.
The controversy began with a Thursday segment of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in which Kimmel parodied the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and joked that Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow.” The remark aired just days before a Saturday security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where a gunman attempted to breach a security checkpoint while the president and first lady were present.
Melania Trump responded on X, describing the comments as “hateful and violent” and directly urging ABC to intervene. She wrote, “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand,” adding, “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.” She also said, “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”
President Trump also weighed in on Truth Social, calling the joke “far beyond the pale” and demanding that Kimmel be fired immediately by ABC and Disney.
At a White House briefing Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt drew attention to the timing and tone of the joke in relation to the weekend incident. “Having experienced what I did with the first lady on Saturday night, I can tell you that she was anything but that,” she said. “It’s unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night.”
Kimmel responded directly during his Monday night monologue, rejecting the idea that his remarks were linked to violence or the later security incident. “He’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” Kimmel said. “It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination and they know that.” He also added, “I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.”
The timing of events has intensified political reaction, with Kimmel’s joke airing before Saturday’s attempted security breach at the correspondents’ dinner. Authorities have charged a suspect in connection with attempting to assassinate the president, further fueling scrutiny of the exchange between entertainment and political commentary.
ABC and Disney have not issued public responses to the demands for disciplinary action.
A free speech organization led by actress Jane Fonda defended Kimmel and criticized pressure on broadcasters, stating, “In America, satire is not a crime. The right to mock, to challenge, and yes, to offend those in power, is foundational to democracy.” The group also urged ABC not to take punitive action.
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