Former First Lady Melania Trump has strongly criticized late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke he made about her just days before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. She described his comments as “hateful and violent” and called on ABC to take action against what she called his “atrocious behavior.”
The joke aired on Thursday during Kimmel’s show as he previewed the upcoming dinner. While introducing Melania Trump, he said: “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
Just two days later, on Saturday night, a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the Correspondents’ Dinner was taking place. President Trump and Melania Trump were both present and had to be evacuated. Authorities say the attack may have targeted members of the Trump administration. The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled by agents before he could reach the main ballroom.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Melania Trump expressed her anger over the timing and nature of the joke. She wrote that people like Kimmel “shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.” She added that his monologue about her family “isn’t comedy” and instead “deepens the political sickness within America.”
“How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?” she asked, urging the network to “take a stand.”
President Trump also responded on his Truth Social platform Monday afternoon. He said he appreciated how many people were “incensed” by Kimmel’s remarks, calling them “a call to violence” that went “far beyond the pale.” He demanded that Jimmy Kimmel be “immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
The backlash grew after a clip of the Thursday joke resurfaced following the shooting. Many conservative voices on social media accused Kimmel of encouraging political violence and called for him to be removed from the air.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt joined the criticism during a Monday news conference. She described Kimmel’s rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters as “completely deranged.”
This is not the first time Kimmel has faced consequences for controversial comments. Last September, he was temporarily taken off air after making remarks about the shooting death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. In that monologue, Kimmel suggested the “Maga gang” was trying to score political points from the murder. He was reinstated a week later and later acknowledged that some viewers found his comments “ill-timed or unclear.”
The BBC has reached out to ABC for comment on the latest controversy.
President Trump told reporters after the incident that the shooting was a “rather traumatic experience” for his wife. The couple was unharmed, but the event left many attendees shaken. The suspect is expected to appear in court soon as the investigation continues.
The incident has reignited debates about the tone of political humor and its potential impact in an already divided country.
