Melania Trump Urges ABC To Fire Jimmy Kimmel After ‘Expectant Widow’ Joke

First lady Melania Trump urged ABC to “take a stand” against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel joked that she had “a glow like an expectant widow” during a Thursday parody skit tied to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“US President Donald Trump has joined his wife Melania Trump in calling on the ABC TV network to take action against comedian Jimmy Kimmel for jokes targeting her as the debate over free speech, polarising rhetoric and political violence grows louder in the United States”

Al Jazeera

In a post on X, Melania said Kimmel’s remarks were “hateful and violent,” adding that “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy - his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”

Al Jazeera

She also wrote, “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” and pressed ABC to “take a stand.”

President Donald Trump joined the demand, writing on Truth Social that he appreciated that so many were “incensed by Kimmel’s” remarks and calling them a “call to violence.”

Trump went further, saying, “[T]his is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”

The controversy intensified after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, an attack authorities say may have targeted members of the Trump administration.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the criticism at a news conference, saying, “This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady and his supporters is completely deranged.”

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled by agents near a staircase leading down to a ballroom where the dinner was taking place, and Allen appeared in court on Monday charged with attempting to assassinate the president.

The “expectant widow” remark was delivered in a skit on Thursday, when Jimmy Kimmel parodied the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in advance by pretending to be the event’s MC.

Kimmel said, “Our first lady Melania is here,” and added, “So beautiful, Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”

BBC

The segment aired on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” two days before the real event the Trumps attended together ended in gunfire, according to NBC News and NPR.

On Saturday, the shooting occurred near a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was held, and the president and Melania were evacuated unharmed from the gala dinner.

BBC reported that Trump told reporters the dinner was “a rather traumatic experience” for his wife after the gunman opened fire.

NBC News described the suspect as having a note to his family stating he believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials, and it said he faces three charges including attempting to assassinate the president.

The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled by agents near a staircase leading down to a ballroom where the dinner was taking place, with hundreds of journalists, officials and public figures attending.

After the attack, Trump and Melania linked the earlier joke to the weekend shooting in their public statements, with Trump calling it “really shocking” and “a call to violence.”

The renewed pressure on ABC and Disney comes after a prior clash over Kimmel’s speech, including a September episode when ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following threats from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr.

“President Donald Trump said on Monday that Jimmy Kimmel should immediately be fired by ABC and parent company Walt Disney, joining his wife Melania Trump in calling out the late-night talk show host for a monolog he delivered prior to a shooting near a gathering of journalists and politicians over the weekend”

CNBC

Al Jazeera reported that last year ABC suspended Kimmel after the Trump administration threatened to take action against the network over commentary by the comedian suggesting that the killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk may have been a Republican.

Al Jazeera quoted Carr saying, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” and added that Carr warned, “These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

NPR similarly described Carr’s response to the backlash, saying, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” and that “These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

BBC also noted that Kimmel was taken off air last September after he made comments about the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, and it said his show was reinstated a week later.

After returning, Kimmel said he accepted that some people felt his remarks about Kirk’s death had been “ill-timed or unclear or maybe both,” and he added, “I get why you're upset.”

NBC News described the Committee for the First Amendment, led by actor Jane Fonda, as criticizing Trump’s urging ABC to fire Kimmel, saying “In America, satire is not a crime.”

The group said, “This is a test — of ABC, of the press, and of our collective commitment to the First Amendment,” and it urged, “Speak up. Push back. Do not capitulate. Do not be silent.”

While Melania Trump and Donald Trump framed Kimmel’s joke as “hateful and violent” rhetoric that deepens political danger, other outlets and advocates emphasized free-speech protections and the nature of satire.

NBC News reported that the Committee for the First Amendment, led by actor Jane Fonda, said, “In America, satire is not a crime,” and argued that “The right to mock, to challenge, and yes, to offend those in power, is foundational to democracy.”

CNN

The group described the situation as “a test — of ABC, of the press, and of our collective commitment to the First Amendment,” and it said, “The pressure is real. The intent is unmistakable.”

It also insisted, “Speak up. Push back. Do not capitulate. Do not be silent,” and it said, “Their demands follow the same old, tired, authoritarian playbook: use the weight of government to pressure media outlets to silence speech it disfavors and chip away at First Amendment protections.”

In parallel, the White House defended its position by attacking Kimmel’s remarks as deranged and by linking them to political violence, with White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt saying, “Just two days prior to the shooting, ABC’s late-night host Jimmy Kimmel disgustingly called First Lady Melania Trump an expectant widow.”

Leavitt also told reporters that “deranged lies and smears against the president” fueled what she called political violence targeting Trump.

CNBC described the dispute as an “early test for Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro,” and it said broadcasters have broad First Amendment rights to make jokes “even ones that are distasteful,” citing “experts note.”

The New York Times described Melania’s post as calling Kimmel “a coward” and saying he “hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.”

The immediate political demand is that ABC and Disney fire Jimmy Kimmel, but the sources also show the issue is entangled with regulatory pressure and earlier FCC threats.

“(Gray News) - President Donald Trump is asking ABC and Disney to fire Jimmy Kimmel after the late-night host made a joke calling First Lady Melania Trump an “expectant widow”

KXII

Melania Trump’s post said, “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand,” and she asked, “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”

KXII

Donald Trump’s Truth Social post concluded, “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” and he described Kimmel’s remarks as “a call to violence.”

Karoline Leavitt, speaking at a Monday briefing, said, “This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady and his supporters is completely deranged,” and she added that it was “unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night.”

CNBC framed the situation as an “early test for Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro,” and it reported that neither ABC nor Disney immediately responded to requests for comment.

Politico reported that the White House Correspondents’ Association hired mentalist Oz Pearlman as the evening’s entertainer this year, while Kimmel’s skit had been a parody of the dinner made days before the shooting.

NBC News added that ABC, Disney and Kimmel’s publicist did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it said the Committee for the First Amendment told the White House it would not “obey in advance.”

The Committee’s statement also said, “We will keep speaking with our First Amendment protections, and we support everyone to do the same,” positioning the next phase as a test of whether ABC yields to political pressure or resists it.