Melania Trump tells ABC to 'take a stand' on Kimmel after 'hateful' joke

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY Mon, April 27, 2026 at 3:26 PM UTC

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First lady Melania Trump is calling for ABC to take action against Jimmy Kimmel for alleged "hateful and violent rhetoric."

The first lady took to X on April 27 to condemn the comic for jokingly calling her an "expectant widow" on his show last week, days before there was a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

"Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country," the first lady wrote. "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."

Jimmy Kimmel hosts "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC.

She continued by suggesting ABC should fire Kimmel.

"A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him," she posted. "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."

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for ABC for comment.

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Kimmel roasts Trump in 'alternative' White House Correspondents' Dinner

In a segment on his show that aired on Thursday, April 23, Kimmel delivered a faux White House Correspondents' dinner monologue in anticipation of the actual event, which would not have a comedian as the headliner. During his monologue, Kimmel quipped that the first lady has a "glow like an expectant widow."

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Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.

Two days later, a gunman opened fire outside the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on April 25, where the president and the first lady were in attendance. A Secret Service agent was shot but protected by a bulletproof vest.

Melania Trump attends the White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026.

After the shooting, a resurfaced clip of Kimmel's "expectant widow" joke drew backlash on social media, with the comedian's critics accusing him of promoting political violence. "I am so deeply sick of Jimmy Kimmel and the hate he spreads in the world," former "The View" cohost Meghan McCain wrote on X. Others defended Kimmel by arguing the joke was referring to Trump's age.

Jimmy Kimmel breaks silence on social media ahead of his show's return

The backlash comes more than seven months after ABC temporarily suspended Kimmel from his show in September 2025 for comments he made about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. At the time, Kimmel said that "the MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize" the suspect charged with killing Kirk "as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

Kimmel was suspended after Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, urged ABC to take action. The comedian returned to the air days later and said "it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melania Trump slams Jimmy Kimmel for 'expectant widow' WHCD joke

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