Jimmy Kimmel defended his \u201cvery light roast\u201d of the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner in Monday evening\u2019s monologue.<\/p>\n
The comedian told Jimmy Kimmel Live! viewers about waking up to Melania Trump \u201cputting out a statement that [he] be fired from his job\u201d over a joke about the First Lady having the \u201cglow of an expectant widow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kimmel, 58, sarcastically insisted this was \u201cobviously a joke about\u201d Melania and President Trump\u2019s \u201cage difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they\u2019re together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Emmy winner pointed out that Melania, 56, is \u201cyounger than\u201d him, while Donald, 79, is \u201calmost 80\u201d, reports Page Six<\/a>.<\/p>\n Taking a more serious tone, he added, \u201cIt was not by any stretch a call to assassination and they know that I\u2019ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular. But I understand the First Lady had a stressful weekend, and probably every weekend is stressful in that house.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso, I agree hateful and violent is something we should reject,\u201d Kimmel continued. \u201cI think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.\u201d<\/p>\n After defending his right to free speech, Kimmel addressed Melania directly.<\/p>\n \u201cI am sorry that you and the President and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that,\u201d he continued about this weekend\u2019s incident. \u201cI really am.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel noted, \u201cJust because no one got killed doesn\u2019t mean it wasn\u2019t traumatic and scary. And we should come together and be better. We really should.\u201d<\/p>\n The late-night host pointed out that his jokes about the WHCD took place before suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen opened fire at the Washington Hilton<\/a>.<\/p>\n An officer, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was shot before Allen was apprehended \u2014 and the 31-year-old California teacher has since been charged with attempting to assassinate the president.<\/p>\n Melania subsequently tweeted that \u201cenough is enough,\u201d writing, \u201cIt is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC\u2019s leadership enable Kimmel\u2019s atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n Donald, for his part, declared via Truth Social that Kimmel should be \u201cimmediately fired by Disney and ABC.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel, however, said on Monday, \u201cIf you want us to believe that a joke I made three days before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well, maybe you should look into this psychic lady, too.\u201d<\/p>\n He went on to show a clip of press secretary Karoline Leavitt claiming \u201csome shots [would be] fired in the room\u201d while teasing Donald\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n Kimmel called the scandal \u201cdeja vu,\u201d referencing his show being pulled from the air<\/a> in September 2025 over his comments on Charlie Kirk\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Three months after the shocking suspension, ABC offered Kimmel a one-year contract extension.<\/p>\n He joked in December 2025 that he will be on air until May 2027 \u201cor until the world ends \u2014 whichever comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n This article originally appeared in Page Six<\/a> and was reproduced with permission.<\/p>\n