President Donald Trump on Monday called for Disney and ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he said First Lady Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow” in a monologue that preceded a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be. He then stated, ‘Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.’ A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives. He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason.”
“I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” the president said.
Hours before the president’s statement, First Lady Melania Trump issued her own response, writing: “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.” She added, “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” and said, “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.”
The president and first lady’s statements followed a segment aired on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in which Jimmy Kimmel performed a mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner-style monologue. During the broadcast, he referenced First Lady Melania Trump, saying she had “a glow like an expectant widow,” a remark that drew laughter from the studio audience.
According to reports, the segment aired days before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., where 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, allegedly forced through a security checkpoint, shot a Secret Service agent, and was taken into custody. He is expected to face federal charges. Officials said Allen wrote a manifesto, attended a left-wing No Kings protest, and made a small ActBlue donation earmarked for Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign.
ABC said last December it signed Kimmel to a one-year contract extension, before his previous contract was up in May. The deal keeps Kimmel on air as Disney’s late-night comedian until at least May 2027.
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