Jimmy Kimmel is pushing back against the controversy surrounding a joke he made about Melania Trump. The late-night host, 58, addressed the growing backlash during his Monday, April 27, monologue, insisting the comment was clearly humorous and had no connection to the White House Correspondents' Dinner attack attempt that occurred on Saturday, April 25.
What Jimmy Kimmel said in his monologue
Kimmel explained to his audience that his 'glow like an expectant widow' joke about Melania, delivered during his Thursday, April 23 episode, was 'obviously a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together.' He elaborated: '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 a call to assassination, and they know that I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular.'
Kimmel also addressed Melania directly: 'I am sorry that you and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am. Just because no one got killed doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic and scary. And we should come together and be the best. We really should.' However, he added, 'But if you want us to believe that a joke I made three days before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well, maybe you should look into this psychic lady, too.'
During his monologue, Kimmel also played a clip of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promoting the president's speech ahead of the Correspondents' Dinner, where she said there would be 'some shots fired in the room tonight.' Kimmel responded, 'You know who's going to be furious when she hears that? White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.'
What Jimmy Kimmel said during his original segment
Kimmel's comments originated from an 'alternative' White House Correspondents' Dinner monologue he created for his April 23 episode, after President Donald Trump, 79, opted not to have a comedian at the official event. During the segment, Kimmel joked that Melania had 'a glow like an expectant widow' and would be spending her birthday 'looking out a window and whispering, 'What have I done?''
How Melania Trump and President Donald Trump responded
In a social media post, Melania called for ABC to 'take a stand' against Kimmel, accusing him of using 'hateful and violent rhetoric' on his show. She argued that Kimmel 'shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate' and labeled him a 'coward' who 'hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect' him. 'Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community,' she wrote.
Later the same day, President Trump called Kimmel's 'widow' statement 'shocking' on Truth Social, recounting the joke and noting that 'a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner' over the weekend, 'loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives.' Trump demanded that Kimmel be 'immediately fired,' describing the joke as 'far beyond the pale.'
The broader context and history between Jimmy Kimmel and the White House
The latest clash comes months after Kimmel's show was pulled from the air on September 17 following comments he made about Charlie Kirk in his opening monologue on September 15. At that time, the FCC Chair threatened to pursue action against the network. Kimmel returned to the air six days later, and Trump had claimed the show was cancelled. Reflecting on the earlier incident, Kimmel said on Monday, 'It's like deja vu for me today with all the news channels talking about this.'
'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
