President Donald Trump has called for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired after the late-night TV host made comments about First Lady Melania Trump deemed “corrosive”.
“When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday. “People are angry. It better be soon!!!”
Trump has long taken aim at the US comedian, but the latest controversy began last week when Kimmel joked that Melania appeared like an “expectant widow”. The remarks sparked backlash from Trump supporters, particularly in the wake of Saturday night’s shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
During the episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the TV host staged a parody of the event and said: “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
Following the episode, the First Lady called on ABC to “take a stand”. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy - his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” she wrote in a post to X. “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. 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?”
ABC’s parent company Disney has shown no sign of wavering despite Trump’s recent comments and the Federal Communication Commission’s almost unprecedented challenge to the station’s licenses, CNN reported. According to CNN, Disney has declined to comment on the calls to fire Kimmel, who remains under contract through next year. The company has continued to air his late-night show and has not taken steps to distance itself from the host.
Will Jimmy Kimmel be suspended again?
In September last year, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly taken off air after the US comedian made comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. ABC America initially announced it was indefinitely suspending the show, before it was reinstated a week later. At the time, the decision to temporarily axe the show sparked fierce debate over free speech.
During the opening monologue on September 15, the comedian said the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” and of trying to “score political points from it”. He also spoke about flags being flown at half mast in honour of Kirk and mocked US President Donald Trump’s reaction to the shooting. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel said.
The decision to axe Jimmy Kimmel Live! came after dozens of affiliate stations announced they wouldn’t air the show and the Trump-appointed head of America’s media watchdog threatened broadcasting licences. Trump praised the cancellation, while critics argue it represented an attack on free speech and state repression.
