Podcaster Joe Rogan waded into the controversy surrounding late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Friday, dismissing the uproar over a joke about first lady Melania Trump as "ridiculous." The backlash, Rogan argued, only gained momentum after a gunman attempted to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents Association dinner last weekend.
During a mock roast on his show, Kimmel quipped that Melania Trump had the "glow" of "an expectant widow." Rogan, speaking on his podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience," noted that "nobody gave a s—t" about the joke until the shooting incident later that Saturday. "No one cared on Saturday until Saturday night when the assassination attempt, and then all the sudden, everyone's blaming Kimmel," he said.
The first lady responded on Monday, accusing Kimmel of spewing "hateful and violent rhetoric" designed to "divide our country." She called on ABC to "take a stand" and remove him from the air. President Trump also renewed his demands for Kimmel's firing, calling the quip "very shocking" and suggesting it was intended to incite violence. "He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason," Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the alleged gunman, 31-year-old Cole Allen, who is charged with attempting to assassinate the president. "I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel's despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale."
Kimmel defended himself multiple times on his show this week. On Monday, he clarified that the joke was a "very light" nod to the age difference between Trump, 79, and Melania, 56. On Tuesday, after playing a clip of the Trumps meeting King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the White House, where the president apologized to his wife that they wouldn't match his parents' 63-year marriage, Kimmel reacted: "My god, he should be fired for that. Only Donald Trump would demand I be fired for making a joke about his old age, and then a day later, go out and make a joke about his own old age."
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered an early review of broadcast licenses for several local TV stations owned and operated by Disney, ABC's parent company. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has faced criticism for alleged attempts to crack down on media content critical of Trump, said the decision wasn't prompted by White House pressure. Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, a Democrat, condemned the move as "the most egregious action this FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date." She added, "As part of its ongoing campaign of censorship and control, the White House called publicly for the silencing of a vocal critic, and this FCC has now answered that call."
This incident echoes broader tensions between the Trump administration and the media, reminiscent of earlier clashes over calls to fire Kimmel. Meanwhile, the political landscape remains volatile, with ongoing disputes over Iran war powers deadlines and other foreign policy issues.
