Jimmy Kimmel backs down! The late-night host, 58, addressed the growing controversy over a joke he made about Melania Trump during his monologue on Monday, April 27, insisting that the comment was clearly humorous in nature and had no connection to the attempted attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which occurred on Saturday, April 25.
What Jimmy Kimmel said in his monologue
Kimmel told his audience that his “glowing like a pregnant widow” joke about Melania, which he made during the 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.”“It was a very light joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than me,” he said. “This was in no way a call for assassination, and they know that I have been very outspoken for many years and have spoken out against gun violence in particular.”He also addressed Melania directly. “I’m sorry that you and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through this. I’m truly sorry. Just because no one was killed, doesn’t mean it wasn’t painful and scary. And we have to come together and be better. We really must.”He added, “But if you want us to believe that the joke you told three days before that dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well, maybe you should look to this spiritual lady, too.”
Kimmel also showed a clip of White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt talking about the president’s speech before the Correspondents’ Dinner, saying there would be “some gunshots in the room tonight.” “You know who’s going to be angry when she hears that? Carolyn Leavitt, the White House press secretary,” Kimmel said.
What Jimmy Kimmel said during his original segment
Kimmel’s comments stem from an “alternative” dinner monologue for White House correspondents he prepared for the April 23 episode, in which Trump, 79, opted not to have a comedian appear at the formal event. During the clip, Kimmel joked that Melania was “glowing like a pregnant widow” and that she would spend her birthday “looking out the window and whispering, ‘What did I do?'”
How Melania Trump and President Donald Trump He responded
In a social media post, Melania called on ABC to “take a stand” against Kimmel, alleging he used “hateful and violent rhetoric” on his show.
She said Kimmel “should not have the opportunity to enter our homes every evening to spread hate” and called him a “coward” who “hides 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 times will ABC leadership enable Kimmel’s outrageous behavior at the expense of our community,” she wrote.Later that same day, President Trump called “The Widow” Kimmel’s statement “shocking” on Truth Social, where he told the joke and noted that “a lunatic tried to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” over the weekend, “carrying a shotgun, a pistol, and several knives.”
Trump called for Kimmel to be fired “immediately,” describing the joke as “out of the ordinary.”
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 the time, the head of the FCC threatened to pursue action against the network. Kimmel returned to the air six days later. Trump had claimed that the show had been cancelled.Kimmel referred to the previous incident on Monday, saying it was “a horrific experience for me today with all the news channels talking about this.”“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” It airs weeknights at 11:35 PM ET on ABC.
