Jimmy Kimmel Faces Backlash Over Melania Trump "Expectant Widow" Comment

Jimmy Kimmel is facing intense backlash after making a comment referring to Melania Trump as an "expectant widow" during a parody monologue aired days before a shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner.

The remark was made during a skit in which Kimmel pretended to host the event while discussing the Trumps' connections to Jeffrey Epstein. In the segment, he said, "Our first lady Melania is here. So beautiful, Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."

Melania Trump condemned the comment in a post on X, saying, "Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn't comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate."

She added, "A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community."

Donald Trump later weighed in, calling for ABC to fire the comedian. In a Truth Social post, he said, "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. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC."

At a news conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also criticised Kimmel's remarks, saying, "This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady and his supporters is completely deranged."

The backlash follows a shooting near the correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton, where the Trumps were attending. They were evacuated safely, and Donald Trump later described the evening as "a rather traumatic experience" for his wife.

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled by agents near a staircase leading down to a ballroom where hundreds of journalists, officials and public figures were attending the event. He appeared in court on Monday and was charged with attempting to assassinate the president.

Some Republicans also weighed in on Kimmel before and after the incident. Meghan McCain wrote on X, "I am so deeply sick of Jimmy Kimmel and the hate he spreads in the world."

Kimmel has previously faced controversy over his comments. Last September, ABC suspended him after remarks about the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, in which he said the "Maga gang" was trying to "score political points" from the murder. The network reinstated him a week later, and Kimmel said at the time, "I get why you're upset."