President Donald Trump has escalated his feud with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, calling on ABC’s parent company, Disney, to fire the comedian over a joke that referred to first lady Melania Trump as having the “glow” of “an expectant widow.” The remark, made on Kimmel’s show two days before a gunman attempted to breach the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, has drawn sharp condemnation from the White House.
In a post on his Truth Social platform Monday, Trump quoted Kimmel’s punchline and accused the host of airing a fake video of Melania and their son Barron sitting in the studio. “He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be,” Trump wrote. The president added that “a day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives.”
Trump linked Kimmel’s joke to the suspect’s manifesto, which revealed the Trump administration was the target of the attack. “He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason,” Trump continued. “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.”
The president’s call for Kimmel’s termination follows a statement earlier Monday from Melania Trump, who described the comedian’s rhetoric as “hateful and violent” and urged Disney to take him off the air. The first lady’s office did not provide further comment on whether legal action is being considered.
Kimmel’s joke came during a monologue segment on his late-night show, which airs on ABC. The comedian has a history of clashing with Trump administration officials; he was briefly suspended last fall after making jokes about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, remarks he later apologized for after being reinstated. Disney has not responded to requests for comment on the latest controversy.
The incident has reignited debate over the boundaries of political satire, particularly in the wake of the WHCA dinner shooting. A former Reagan administration Secret Service agent praised the response that evacuated Trump from the ballroom, but critics argue that inflammatory language from both sides of the aisle can escalate tensions. Trump’s post did not mention that the suspect was stopped before entering the venue, nor did it acknowledge that Kimmel’s joke was made before the attack.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt linked the shooting to Democrats’ anti-Trump rhetoric in a separate statement, though no direct evidence has emerged connecting the suspect’s motives to Kimmel’s joke. The WHCA has condemned the attack and called for a review of security protocols at future events.
Kimmel has not publicly addressed Trump’s latest demands. His representatives declined to comment on the record. The controversy adds to a growing list of confrontations between the president and media figures, with Trump frequently using social media to target critics in the entertainment and news industries.
