By Eili Cordova
Donald Trump publicly supported his wife’s, first lady Melania Trump’s, requests on Monday for ABC to fire leisurely evening host Jimmy Kimmel.
Through his Truth Social platform, Trump attacked the comedian hours after Melania published an unusual and forceful statement on X (formerly Twitter) demanding action against Kimmel. The origin of the conflict dates back to last Thursday, when Kimmel gave a satirical speech in advance from his program Jimmy Kimmel Are Living – since he would not attend the correspondents’ dinner on Saturday – in which he launched harsh criticism of the former president and made comments about the first lady.
“It’s not funny at all”: Trump’s attack
Trump did not spare his qualifiers against Kimmel. “Jimmy Kimmel, who is not funny at all, as evidenced by his dismal ratings, made a statement on his show that is truly scandalous,” he wrote.
The former president specifically referred to a Kimmel joke that compared Melania Trump to a “pregnant widow.” “He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, as if they were sitting in his study listening to him speak, which they were not,” Trump continued. “She then declared, ‘Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, how beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you radiate a glow like a pregnant widow.'”
Trump linked those comments to a serious security incident that occurred during Saturday’s correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton lodge, where a man identified as Cole Allen was charged with attempted murder of the president after passing through a security guard with a shotgun, a pistol and several knives. “A day later, a lunatic tried to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ballroom armed… He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason,” Trump said.
“I appreciate that so many people are outraged by Kimmel’s despicable call for violence,” he added. “Disney and ABC should immediately fire Jimmy Kimmel.”
Melania Trump: “He is a coward who hides behind ABC”
Hours before her husband’s publication, Melania Trump had broken her usual public silence with a fierce message in
The former first lady called Kimmel “a coward who hides behind ABC because he knows the network will continue to cover for him to protect him.” And he declared: “Enough is enough! It’s time for ABC to take a stand. How many more times will ABC management allow Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?”
Background: Disney has already temporarily removed Kimmel
The Trumps’ request does not arise in a vacuum. Last September, ABC parent company Disney temporarily pulled Kimmel’s show from its schedule following pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr after the comedian made a joke about the “MAGA gang” response to the murder of Charlie Kirk.
At this time, representatives for Jimmy Kimmel and ABC did not respond to requests for comment from various media outlets. The presenter, known for his previous confrontations with Trump, has not commented on the new accusations.
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