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Melania Trump calls for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over ‘hateful and violent rhetoric'
By Brian Flood
Published April 27, 2026
First lady Melania Trump called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over his "hateful" language on Monday after the liberal late-night host referred to her as "an expectant widow" days before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was interrupted by a suspected attempted assassin.
"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," Melania Trump posted on X.
"People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough," the first lady continued. "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."
KIMMEL CALLS MELANIA TRUMP AN ‘EXPECTANT WIDOW’ BEFORE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING
Kimmel had mocked President Donald Trump and his wife in a White House Correspondents' Dinner parody last week, calling her "an expectant widow" and joking about her marriage.
"Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," Kimmel said in his parody of the event on Thursday.
The joke didn't age well after authorities say 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, Calif., rushed a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, armed with multiple weapons, and opened fire, striking a Secret Service agent. The officer survived and Allen was taken into custody.
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First lady Melania Trump was harshly critical of ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in a post on X. (Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images; Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
The shooting led to the evacuation of the Trumps and Cabinet members in attendance, and the dinner was canceled and is expected to be rescheduled.
ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kimmel, a staunch critic of the president, has regularly attended anti-Trump and anti-ICE protests over the course of the president's second term.
Kimmel made a name for himself in the early 2000s as co-host of Comedy Central's sketch comedy series "The Man Show." His humor thrived on political incorrectness as "The Man Show" touted male stereotypes, famously featured "girls on trampolines" and Kimmel himself repeatedly donned blackface to impersonate celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and NBA star Karl Malone. He also used the n-word while parodying Snoop Dogg's music in 1996.
By 2017, Kimmel began embracing the role of liberal activist.
Following the 2018 White House Easter Egg Roll, Kimmel mocked first lady Melania Trump's accent after playing a clip of her reading a book to children. To commemorate the halfway point of Trump's first term in 2019, Kimmel had a skit depicting the president's late father Fred Trump in hell.
In August 2019, Kimmel mocked Trump voters, saying Americans who support the president have been "repeatedly punched in the head."
Leading up to the 2020 election cycle, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" increasingly became a platform for Democrats, rolling out the red carpet for presidential hopefuls like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker. Kimmel even handed the keys over to Pete Buttigieg to guest-host his show in March 2020.
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He has essentially attacked the Trump administration on a nightly basis during the president’s second term.
Last year, Kimmel was suspended by ABC parent company, Disney, after remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage and a veiled threat from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Kimmel accused conservatives of reaching "new lows" in trying to pin a left-wing ideology on 22-year-old suspected Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson.
"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel said on Sept. 15.
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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called Kimmel's comments "some of the sickest conduct" and suggested there were potential "avenues" the FCC could pursue.
Disney decided to suspend "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after two major affiliate owners pulled airings of Kimmel from their stations, and Kimmel reportedly had told executives he would not apologize for his comments.
He was allowed to return to air days later and insisted he never intended to make light of Kirk’s tragic killing.
"I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back," Trump posted on Truth Social at the time.
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Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/melania-trump-calls-abc-take-stand-against-jimmy-kimmel-over-hateful-violent-rhetoric