Donald Trump is once again calling for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired from ABC.
After Melania Trump made headlines earlier Monday by asking ABC to cancel the concert Jimmy Kimmel Live! In the wake of a shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump posted a similar snapshot on Truth Social.
“Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is by no means funny as his terrible TV ratings attest, made a statement on his show that was truly shocking,” Trump wrote. “He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, as if they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they were not, and never will be. Then he said, ‘Our First Lady, Melania, is here.’ Look at Melania, so beautiful. “Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of a pregnant widow.” A day later, a maniac attempted to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, carrying a shotgun, a pistol, and several knives. He was there for a very clear and evil reason. I appreciate that a lot of people are outraged by Kimmel’s vile call for violence, and normally they wouldn’t respond to anything he said, but this is something that goes way too far. Jimmy Kimmel should be fired immediately by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your concern about this matter!”
The post comes on the heels of the arrest of a suspected shooter for opening fire at WHCD’s host hotel — and District Attorney Todd Blanche revealing that investigators believe the suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, 31, was targeting members of the Trump administration.
Melania Trump previously posted, “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is designed to divide our country. His monologue about my family is not comedy — his words corrode and deepen the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel should not have the opportunity to enter our homes every evening to spread hate. Kimmel is a coward, hiding behind ABC because he knows the network will continue to cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many more times will ABC leadership enable Kimmel’s outrageous behavior at the expense of our community.”
The First Lady’s statement comes after ABC was temporarily suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! Last September after threats from Trump’s FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. This incident was linked to a joke Kimmel told after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. When Kimmel returned to the air, he said his joke was “poorly timed or unclear or maybe both,” and added: “I understand why you’re upset.”
Representatives for ABC and Kimmel did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump has been in a feud with Kimmel since 2016 and has called for the talk show to be canceled several times. In contrast to his new position, Trump has repeatedly reacted to things Kimmel has said. Kimmel, in turn, has often made mockery of Trump a focal point of his monologues. Trump was previously credited — whether correctly or not — with prompting CBS to cancel another late-night critic of his administration, Stephen Colbert, who the Late show Ends next month. After Colbert’s decision, Trump posted on social media, “I absolutely love firing Colbert. His talent was even lower than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. He has even less talent than Colbert!”
The WHCD shooting marks the third time Trump’s security perimeter has been breached by a gun-wielding man who intended to harm the president during his second term. The first was in July 2024, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump with a rifle, grazing the president’s ear. The second was in September 2024, when Ryan Wesley Roth was seen carrying a gun at a golf tournament while Trump was playing. In addition, there have been other incidents, such as two failed assassination plots allegedly committed by Iran.
