President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, agreed to demand that 'ABC' fire host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke played on his show last week, in which he pretended to greet the first lady and told her that "she has the glow of an expectant widow." In light of the subsequent shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Melania accused Kimmel of spreading "hate."

First modification: 04/28/2026 - 01:58 Last modification: 04/28/2026 - 10:07

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When he made his joke on his show's broadcast last Thursday, Jimmy Kimmel surely didn't imagine what would happen two days later.

That day, in a segment of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', the host, dressed in a tuxedo and standing behind a podium, pretended to be presenting a comedy act at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner.

In his speech he included fake shots of the Trumps and others, taken from video clips, and, in a passage of the sketch, he pretended to address Melania Trump, highlighting that she had "the glow of an expectant widow."

After the shooting on Saturday, April 25 at that event that Kimmel tried to recreate as a joke, President Donald Trump and the first lady repudiated the segment and used it to justify a new call for the dismissal of the entertainer, with whom the president maintains a personal grudge.

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Melania Trump was the first to speak out. In a post on "How many more times will 'ABC' management allow Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?" he asked.

In that sense, he added that the presenter's monologue about his family "is not comedy; his words are corrosive and deepen the political illness that prevails in the United States."

Following his wife's message, Donald Trump said he understood "that so many people are outraged by Kimmel's despicable call for violence," although the presenter did not make any explicit mention of a violent act.

For this reason, the US president stressed that, although "normally I would not react to anything he said", this time "it is something totally unacceptable." And, just as he did last year, he suggested that Kimmel "should be fired immediately by 'Disney+' and 'ABC.'"

The White House accuses the media and the opposition of encouraging political violence

During his routine last Thursday, Kimmel recalled that Sunday, April 26, was Melania Trump's birthday and stated, "She plans to celebrate at home like always: looking out the window and whispering, 'What have I done?'"

And he concluded: "Before we continue, Melania, this is Donald. Donald, this is Melania. That was my imitation of Jeffrey Epstein."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also joined in questioning Kimmel and asked: "Who, in their right mind, could claim that a wife would beam at the possible murder of her beloved husband?" It is worth clarifying that the presenter also did not make any reference to a potential assassination of Trump.

However, Leavitt dedicated a long passage of his press conference to ensuring that political violence is fueled by comments from the media and the opposition against the Republican.

"This hateful, constant and violent rhetoric, directed against President Trump day after day for eleven years, has helped legitimize this violence and lead us to this dark moment," he said.

For the spokesperson, "those who constantly slander the president and falsely call him a fascist and a threat to democracy, comparing him to Hitler to obtain political gain, are fueling this type of violence."

And he insisted that "it's not just about the media," but that "the Democratic Party as a whole has made the argument to voters across the country that Donald Trump represents an existential threat to democracy, that he is a fascist, and that he is comparable to Hitler."

Kimmel, once again in the Trumps' crosshairs

It is not the first time that Jimmy Kimmel has been in the eye of the storm for his comments or that Donald Trump has called for his dismissal. He had already done so last September, when the presenter's comments about the murder of ultra-conservative activist Charlie Kirk led to 'ABC' suspending his program for six days.

Hours before that suspension, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, put pressure on local stations, warning them that if they broadcast Kimmel's show they could face fines or the loss of their licenses.

The official's comments caused strong rejection from the entertainment industry, civil rights organizations and leaders of both parties, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who compared the threats to those of an organized crime boss.

Read alsoFreedom of expression under the microscope in the US after the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel's show

Then, Sinclair and Nexstar Media briefly pulled Kimmel from their 70 ABC-affiliated stations, which cover nearly a quarter of the American audience.

At the time, Trump welcomed the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel's show, a decision he nevertheless attributed to the host's "low ratings" and "lack of talent."

Accustomed to attacking the media, the US president has also suggested the revocation of broadcast licenses as punishment.

Last November, he suggested that the FCC should make that decision against ABC after criticizing an ABC News correspondent who asked Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohamed bin Salman, about the crime of Jamal Khashoggi, a former Washington Post columnist murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

With AP, Reuters and EFE

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