President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump condemned late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for his recent monologue targeting the First Lady and urged the network ABC to remove him from the air.
During last Thursday’s edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel delivered a mock version of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. During the skit, the late-night host joked that Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow” while a manipulated video played depicting the First Lady and their son, Barron Trump, being present in the studio audience.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, the president called Kimmel’s joke “really shocking” and accused the late-night host of promoting dangerous rhetoric.
President Donald J. Trump Calls on Disney and ABC to Fire Jimmy Kimmel Following His Despicable Call to Violence. pic.twitter.com/W4oxxgBZxv
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 27, 2026
“Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” Donald Trump wrote, labeling the remarks a “despicable call to violence.”
Donald Trump added that he “normally would not be responsive to anything” Kimmel says, “but, this is something far beyond the pale.”
Earlier in the day, the First Lady issued her own statement, condemning Kimmel’s remarks as “hateful and violent rhetoric” that “deepens the political sickness within America.”
“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,” Melania Trump wrote.
“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,” she added.
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…
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 27, 2026
Kimmel’s Thursday monologue came two nights before 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California allegedly attempted to breach security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while armed with multiple weapons.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Allen attempting to burst through a security checkpoint just outside of the Washington Hilton ballroom, where thousands, including the president, First Lady, and other top administration officials, were attending the event.
One Secret Service agent was shot in his bulletproof vest before agents tackled and arrested Allen.
Allen allegedly sent a rambling anti-Trump manifesto to family members minutes before the incident, referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and claiming he intended to target senior officials in the Trump administration.
The alleged would-be assassin has since been charged with attempting to assassinate the president and appeared in court for the first time on Monday.
Representatives for both ABC and Kimmel have not publicly addressed the president and First Lady’s comments as of press time.
Notably, according to a scheduling release by ABC, Kimmel was set to welcome mentalist Oz Pearlman as a guest during his Monday show. Pearlman was on the stage engaging with the president, First Lady, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner before he was set to perform at the event.
Pearlman has since been replaced in Monday’s show lineup by former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett, host of the podcast Pod Save America.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
