Jimmy Kimmel defends 'expectant widow' joke targeting Melania Trump
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel defends his 'expectant widow' joke about Melania Trump, sparking widespread backlash. First lady Melania Trump calls his rhetoric 'hateful and violent,' and former Obama aide David Axelrod labels it 'tasteless.' Fox News contributor Joe Concha criticizes ABC for enabling Kimmel's behavior, highlighting the potential for political violence.
Oz Pearlman, the mentalist who was scheduled to perform at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner on Saturday, pulled out of his Monday appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Instead of Pearlman, Kimmel brought on liberal "Pod Save America" host Jon Lovett.
Deadline reported that it was unclear why Pearlman backed out of Kimmel's show.
Oz Pearlman, the mentalist who was scheduled to perform at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner on Saturday, pulled out of his Monday "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" appearance. (John Lamparski/Getty Images; Stefanie Keenan/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
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Pearlman did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Kimmel's show.
Kimmel has faced backlash in recent days over remarks he made about first lady Melania Trump during a mock WHCA Dinner bit he did on Thursday.
Kimmel referred to Melania as an "expectant widow" in the bit, which occurred two days before the actual dinner and shooting.
"Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," Kimmel said.
Kimmel referred to Melania as an "expectant widow" in the bit, which occurred two days before the actual dinner and shooting. (Randy Holmes/Disney)
The liberal late-night host defended the joke during his show on Monday.
"This was Thursday, and there was no big reaction to it until this morning, when I greeted the day facing yet another Twitter vomit storm," Kimmel said during his monologue. "I said, 'Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at her. So beautiful. This is from the glow. Like an expectant widow,' which obviously was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they were together."
"It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80, and she's younger than I am. It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination — and they know that," he continued. "I've been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular, but I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house."
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Oz Pearlman attends the 2026 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 25 in Washington, D.C. (Taylor Hill/WireImage)
Pearlman opened up about the chaotic moments during the weekend shooting at the WHCA Dinner, describing the scene as "surreal" and filled with immediate fear and confusion.
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"This is something nefarious and dangerous, and you feel the hairs on your neck starting to lift and, if you watch the video, it's surreal that this was 24 hours ago," Pearlman said Sunday on "One Nation with Brian Kilmeade."
Pearlman, who was with President Donald Trump at the time, said he initially struggled to process what was unfolding.
Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
