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On Monday, first lady Melania Trump posted a demand on social media for television network ABC to “take a stand” against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes about her husband, President Donald Trump.
The X post from Melania Trump — which claimed Kimmel’s rhetoric is both “hateful” and “violent” — comes just two days after a shooter nearly breached security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday. The post also comes as several right-wing commentators are lambasting Kimmel for a joke he made last week regarding Melania Trump becoming a widow.
“Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Kimmel said on his Thursday night program.
“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” Melania Trump said in her post, adding:
Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.
Shortly after Melania Trump’s post, Donald Trump issued a post of his own on Truth Social, calling for the company to terminate Kimmel over the joke.
Referencing the joke, Trump said that, later in the week, “a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives” for a “very obvious and sinister reason.”
“This is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” Trump demanded.
The Trumps’ criticism of Kimmel is questionable and lacks context. Indeed, the actual joke the host told last week had nothing to do with violence, and Kimmel has a noted history of vehemently rejecting political violence, even against those with whom he has disagreements.
The monologue by Kimmel — a mock-up of what a roast by him at the correspondents’ dinner might have looked like — did indeed feature the comedian discussing Melania Trump possibly becoming a widow. However, just a few lines before that joke, Kimmel mentioned aspects of Trump’s health, including his seemingly bruised hands. At no point in the skit did Kimmel discuss violent actions against figures attending the correspondents’ dinner, let alone the president.
The strong likelihood that Kimmel was referencing Trump’s health is backed by the fact that many news agencies discussed Trump’s mental and physical health status in the days preceding his monologue.
The president has called for Kimmel to be fired many times in the past. His administration has also pressured the network to terminate the comedian.
Last fall, after several administration officials falsely claimed that Kimmel had made jokes about the killing of far right activist Charlie Kirk, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr implied that affiliate stations should stop airing Kimmel or face repercussions for keeping him on the air.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said at the time.
ABC suspended Kimmel soon after, only for the comedian to be reinstated amid massive public backlash and criticism from free speech groups.
While both Melania and Donald Trump have chastised Kimmel and other left-leaning voices for their supposed violent rhetoric, the president has been notorious for his own incendiary statements over the years.
Trump has, for example, called lawmakers who were directly citing U.S. Code (reminding members of the military that they can disobey orders they believe to be illegal) “seditious,” suggesting that they should face criminal charges and potentially the death penalty. During the 2024 presidential campaign, he expressed a desire for journalists covering his rallies to be shot, and downplayed what he thought was a physical attack on the press by a supporter of his. He also threatened a “bloodbath” for the country if he wasn’t reelected. And more recently, he called for journalists to face treason charges over reporting on the Iran War that he disliked, a federal charge for which the punishment includes the possibility of death.
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