Trump is calling for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired after a joke he deemed inappropriate about Melania before the Correspondents' Dinner
US President Donald Trump has asked ABC to fire host Jimmy Kimmel after he made a joke about Melania Trump, saying she was a “widow-in-waiting”, CNN reports. The backlash came shortly after the first lady also suggested the moderator should lose her job over the same comments.
Jimmy Kimmel has been temporarily suspended from ABC photo capture video Youtube
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the joke “a vile call to violence” and demanded that Disney and ABC fire Kimmel immediately. The joke was told last Thursday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as part of a parody monologue inspired by the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Usually, a comedian is the star of the dinner, and Kimmel's sketch put him in that role.
“Our first lady is here. Mrs. Trump… looking radiant as a widow in waiting. By the way, in the unfortunate event that our president has a medical emergency tonight, we have a doctor in the room — oh, I'm sorry. I mean, do we have a Jesus in the room? I always confuse them, too.” he added, referring to a meme Trump posted, and later deleted, on Truth Social that appeared to depict him as Jesus.
Melania Trump also reacted publicly, stating that such comments are not comedy, but contribute to a toxic political climate. She harshly criticized the show and the ABC station, arguing that such voices should not reach the homes of Americans every day.
“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will continue to cover him. Enough is enough. It's time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC management allow Kimmel's atrocious behavior to the detriment of our community?”“, she continued.
Melania Trump, who like her husband was evacuated during the shooting outside the room, made a surprise appearance in the White House press conference room as the president addressed the media later that evening. She has not publicly commented on the armed incident, and her message regarding Kimmel is her first public statement on this topic, CNN reports, according to the news.
The US president, who told reporters it was “quite a traumatic experience” for his wife, was asked on Sunday if she was scared. “I don't want to say, and people don't like to be told they're scared, but surely, I mean, who wouldn't be scared in a situation like that?“, he told CBS.
Although Kimmel told the joke before the White House Correspondents' Dinner, administration officials said such speech could encourage dangerous behavior.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called Kimmel's joke “completely inappropriate” and warned that such rhetoric can influence unstable people to commit acts of violence.
The situation is putting pressure on Disney, which owns ABC, and raising questions about free speech and how big corporations react to criticism from political leaders. So far, neither ABC nor Jimmy Kimmel has offered an official point of view.
It's not the first time Kimmel has clashed with the Trump administration: Bald, after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, when he mocked the president for talking about renovating the East Wing of the White House when a reporter asked him about his death, and on the show the next night that “many in MAGA country are working to profit from his murder.” The remarks led to pressure on the ABC station and even the temporary suspension of his show, before it was put back on the schedule following public backlash.
It remains to be seen how Disney will handle this new controversy, especially in the context of the recent changes in the company's management.
