Late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel has defended his “expectant widow” joke about First Lady Melania Trump following the Trump administration’s calls for him to be fired for allegedly pushing violent rhetoric.
He pointed out that Trump is almost 80 years old and Melania is "younger than I am," describing the joke as a light roast and “not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.”
The remark about the president’s wife was part of last Thursday’s pretend roast on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show in which Kimmel pretended to deliver a comedy routine at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
That event, two nights later, was disrupted when an armed man attempted to enter the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where the Trumps, his Cabinet, political leaders, and members of the press were gathered.
Kimmel said he was sorry that the president and others at the dinner went through such a traumatic and scary experience. He also further rejected accusations that he played a role in pushing dangerous speech and suggested that condemning such rhetoric should start with the president.
“I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject,” Kimmel said. “I do, and I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.”
Trump, who has often been the target of Kimmel's jokes, later reiterated his wife’s remarks.
Tension escalated between the president and Kimmel when he made a joke last fall about slain conservative leader Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel was suspended by ABC and some of the network’s affiliates announced they would be taking him off the air following a comment made about the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. ABC and the stations later brought Kimmel back.
Kimmel’s response at the time did not include an apology. He claimed that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize” on Kirk’s murder and maintained that he was not trying to make light of the assassination.
ABC signed Kimmel to a one-year contract extension shortly after the incident, which keeps him on the air until May 2027.
Meanwhile, Disney's board chair James Gorman said on Tuesday large companies face such issues from time to time and it’s the job of the CEO to find a solution.
"We have a terrific new CEO, Josh D'Amaro, he's world class so I'm sure he'll rise to the occasion and do what the right thing is," Gorman said.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show has aired on the network since January 2003.