Actor George Clooney has come to the defense of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who faced backlash over a joke about first lady Melania Trump that some interpreted as encouraging violence. The controversy erupted after Kimmel quipped that Melania had the glow of an "expectant widow" just days before a gunman targeted an event attended by President Donald Trump.
Clooney's Defense of Kimmel
Speaking at the 51st Chaplin Award Gala on Monday, Clooney compared Kimmel's remark to a comment made by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt before the assassination attempt. "Jimmy's a comedian, and I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn't mean shots should be fired. Right? She was making a joke. Fair enough. You look at that side and go, 'Well, jokes are jokes,'" Clooney told Variety.
Leavitt's Controversial Remark
Before the alleged assassin's attack shut down the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday, Leavitt joked that reporters should be ready to see "some shots fired" when Trump took the stage. That evening marked his first appearance at the event as president and his first delivery of a stand-up-comedy-style speech ribbing the press, as per tradition.
Clooney Acknowledges Risks
Clooney did concede that comments like Kimmel's could be "a little dangerous," noting that such charged rhetoric is something Americans have seen "a lot lately." Following the gunman's attack, which authorities are investigating as an assassination attempt, President Trump described Kimmel's comments as a "despicable call to violence" and demanded the comedian be fired. The first lady echoed this sentiment, calling the joke "corrosive" and saying it deepened "the political sickness within America."
Kimmel's Response
Kimmel remained defiant during Monday's episode of his show, stating that his crack was nothing more than "a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am." He added, "It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination. And they know that. I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular."
