Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hit back on Monday at Donald Trump’s call for him to lose his job over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump days before an alleged attempt to assassinate the US president. Trump said Kimmel should be fired for likening the first lady to an “expectant widow” on Thursday, two days before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington that the couple attended.
Kimmel portrayed himself in a monologue as the MC of that upcoming banquet. It included a segment in which he addressed the first lady in the audience and said: “Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” Trump turns 80 in June and is the oldest president to take office in the United States. His wife, a former model who was born in Slovenia, is 56.
First Lady's Statement and Kimmel's Response
The first lady also lashed out at Kimmel in a rare statement, calling on US broadcaster ABC to “take a stand” against the late-night host over his comments. However, Kimmel brushed off the criticism in a monologue on his talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” late on Monday, saying that the gag was “obviously… a joke about their age difference.”
“It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” Kimmel said. “It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination, and they know that.” Kimmel also appeared to invite Trump onto his show to discuss “hateful” rhetoric — an apparent reference to the president’s inflammatory comments about groups including migrants, political opponents and the media.
Context of the Joke and Backlash
The joke was made during Kimmel’s monologue as the host of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an event traditionally filled with lighthearted roasts of political figures. The comment drew immediate backlash from Trump supporters and the first lady, who called Kimmel’s words “corrosive” and deepening “the political sickness within America.” In a statement on social media, Melania Trump wrote: “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to…”
Despite the controversy, Kimmel maintained that the joke was not intended to incite violence and was simply a playful jab at the age gap between the president and first lady. He also noted that the Trumps have frequently used age-related jokes in the past, making his comment consistent with the tone of political humor.
