Topline<\/p>\n
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night pushed back against criticism of a joke he made last week, where he said First Lady Melania Trump had \u201ca glow like an expectant widow,\u201d saying it was a reference to her age difference with President Donald Trump and not a call for his assassination.<\/p>\n
Jimmy Kimmel responded to calls from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for him to be fired in his monologue on Monday.<\/p>\n
Disney via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Kimmel opened his monologue<\/a> joking about waking up to the first lady issuing a statement \u201cdemanding you be fired from your job,\u201d and described her reaction as a \u201cTwitter vomit storm.\u201d<\/p>\n The late-night host addressed the shooting at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, saying, \u201cno one was hurt, thank goodness,\u201d and a lot of people were \u201cshaken up.\u201d<\/p>\n Addressing the criticism, Kimmel said the \u201cexpectant widow\u201d joke was \u201cobviously\u2026about their age difference\u201d and \u201cnot by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel said he agrees with the first lady\u2019s comments about rejecting \u201chateful and violent rhetoric<\/a>\u201d and added that he thinks a great place to start dialing that back \u201cwould be to have a conversation with your husband about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel then quipped that if people believe his joke had an effect on what happened at the dinner, \u201cthen maybe someone should look into this psychic lady,\u201d before cutting to footage of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talking up the president\u2019s planned speech and saying: \u201cthere\u2019ll be some shots fired tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Crucial Quote<\/p>\n Addressing Trump\u2019s push to build the White House ballroom in response to the shooting, Kimmel said: \u201cOne thing about Donald Trump, there’s nothing he can’t turn into a real estate opportunity. He immediately turned this into an argument in favor of his ballroom. He wrote, \u2018This event would never have happened with the militarily top secret ballroom currently under construction at the White House.\u2019 I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I’m afraid that the top-secret ballroom is no longer top-secret.\u201d<\/p>\n What Do We Know About Kimmel\u2019s Correspondent\u2019s Dinner Skit?<\/p>\n In a segment of his show that aired last week, Kimmel parodied the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner. In the segment<\/a>, Kimmel joked about Trump\u2019s purported health problems and his past ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Kimmel then mentioned the first lady and said, \u201cLook at her. So beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.\u201d<\/p>\n How Did Melania Trump React?<\/p>\n While Kimmel\u2019s skit went unaddressed for a few days after airing, on Monday the first lady mentioned<\/a> it in a post on X<\/a>, saying: \u201cKimmel\u2019s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn\u2019t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn\u2019t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.\u201d<\/p>\n What Did Trump Say About Kimmel?<\/p>\n A short while after the first lady\u2019s post, Trump called for Kimmel to be fired<\/a> in a Truth Social post, reiterating a demand he has made several times over the past year. Trump wrote: \u201cI appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel\u2019s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.\u201d<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n Melania Trump Accuses Jimmy Kimmel Of \u2018Hateful And Violent Rhetoric\u2019<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n