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Melania Trump wants ABC to 'take a stand' against Jimmy Kimmel after 'hateful' joke

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− Mandalit del Barco First lady Melania Trump attends the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on April 25.
+ Mandalit del Barco On his show Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel said the joke he made about first lady Melania Trump was a "light roast" and was "not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.
− Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption First lady Melania Trump is not happy about late night host Jimmy Kimmel's recent joke about her.
+ And they know that." Kimmel is shown above in November 2020. Getty Images for Easterseals hide caption On his show Monday night, Kimmel responded to first lady Melania Trump's call for ABC to "take a stand" against him for a joke he made about her ahead of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Two days after Kimmel's original segment aired, authorities subdued a heavily armed man who they say entered the event at the Washington Hilton ballroom in an attempt to target administration officials.
+ In a segment on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday, the comedian delivered a mock White House Correspondents' Dinner roast.
"Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs.
− Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," Kimmel quipped during a sketch on his show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The segment was the comedian's mock alternative speech to the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which aired two days before the real event the Trumps attended together ended in gunfire.
+ Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," Kimmel quipped. In a post on X, the first lady called Kimmel's joke about her "hateful and violent." On Monday, Kimmel told his audience, it "obviously was a joke about their age difference, and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together." He said it was a "light roast" and was "not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.
− Authorities subdued a heavily armed man who they say entered the Washington Hilton ballroom in an attempt to target administration officials.
+ And they know that." Kimmel added that he's been very vocal for many years against gun violence.
− In a post on X, the first lady called Kimmel's joke about her "hateful and violent." Politics A chaotic White House Correspondents' Dinner, as told by NPR reporters in the room "His monologue about my family isn't comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," she wrote.
+ Politics A chaotic White House Correspondents' Dinner, as told by NPR reporters in the room Melania Trump didn't see it that way.
+ "His monologue about my family isn't comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," she wrote on Twitter on Monday.
"People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate." Mrs.
− Trump urged ABC, the network that airs Kimmel's weeknight show, to take action, asking "how many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?" Hours later, President Trump took to social media to lend support to his wife.
+ Trump urged ABC, the network that airs Kimmel's weeknight show, to take action, asking "how many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?" First lady Melania Trump attends the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, 2026.
− Trump wrote that Kimmel's comments went "beyond the pale" and that Jimmy Kimmel should be "immediately fired by Disney and ABC." On his show, on Monday night, Kimmel said it "obviously, was a joke about their age difference, and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together." He said it was a "light roast" and was "not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.
+ Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption Hours later, President Trump took to social media to lend support to his wife.
− And they know that." Kimmel added that he's been very vocal for many years against gun violence. Television 'We have to speak out,' Jimmy Kimmel says in his late-night return In September, Kimmel was taken off the air after a conservative backlash over comments Kimmel made in the aftermath of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk's assassination.
+ Trump wrote that Kimmel's comments went "beyond the pale" and that Jimmy Kimmel should be "immediately fired by Disney and ABC." Television 'We have to speak out,' Jimmy Kimmel says in his late-night return In September, Kimmel was taken off the air after a conservative backlash over comments Kimmel made in the aftermath of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk's assassination.
In his monologue, Kimmel said the "MAGA gang" was trying to score political points from the Kirk killing. The FCC Chair Brendan Carr responded to the backlash by threatening ABC affiliates. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said to podcaster Benny Johnson. "These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." History What Kimmel and Colbert can learn from ancient comedians who ticked off their leaders Disney — which owns ABC — decided to suspend Kimmel's show. That decision sparked a furor over free speech and censorship. Kimmel's show returned six days later, and the host said, "it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man." Kimmel accepted why some people were upset with his remarks and said they had been "ill-timed,or unclear or maybe both." Meanwhile, users on X have been responding to Melania Trump's post. Some appear to be supportive. Others point to the president's history of strongly worded, disparaging and racist remarks in posts about women and his political detractors such as Barack Obama. Media Jimmy Kimmel's suspension shows power of FCC's Brendan Carr Jimmy Kimmel melania trump White House Correspondents' Dinner ABC Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor