What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Melania Trump that has enraged the First Lady and the President?

Jimmy Kimmel started his Monday show by joking that the First Lady wanted him fired — “we’ve all been there, right?” Earlier that day, Melania Trump posted on X accusing Kimmel of using “hateful and violent rhetoric”. Her anger came from a joke Kimmel made during a parody of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

In that comedy act, Kimmel made fun of the Trump family and joked that Melania looked like an “expectant widow.” He also joked she celebrates her birthday alone, looking out a window and thinking “What have I done?”, as noted by Washington Post. Two days later, a shocking incident happened — a man tried to attack the event venue at the Washington Hilton. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was charged with attempted assassination of the president.

Melania connected Kimmel’s joke to the attack and said his words are harmful for the country. She also called him a coward and asked ABC to take action against him. Soon after, Donald Trump posted that Kimmel should be fired by Disney and ABC.

Kimmel’s response on his show

Kimmel said his “expectant widow” joke was just about the couple’s age difference and her expressions. He clearly said it was NOT a call for violence or assassination. He reminded viewers that he has always spoken against gun violence. Kimmel agreed that hateful speech is bad, but said Melania should also talk to her husband about it, as cited by Washington Post. The audience clapped when he said this. He also defended free speech, saying everyone — including Trump, Melania, and himself — has the right to speak under the First Amendment.

Background and past issues

Kimmel said this situation felt like “déjà vu” because something similar happened before. In September, his show was briefly taken off air after comments about Charlie Kirk. At that time, Trump also demanded the show be cancelled. Brendan Carr even warned that Disney’s licenses could be at risk. Many people criticized that move, and Kimmel returned after a few days defending free speech.

Kimmel said he feels sorry for what people at the event went through during the attack scare, as noted by Washington Post. He added that even if no one died, it was still scary and traumatic. He ended by saying people should come together and behave better. His original guest, Oz Pearlman, was replaced because the event ended early. Instead, Jon Lovett appeared on the show.

FAQs

Q1. What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Melania Trump?

He made a joke calling her an “expectant widow” during a comedy roast, which many found offensive.

Q2. Why are Melania Trump and Donald Trump angry at Jimmy Kimmel?

They believe his joke promoted harmful language and demanded action against him.