President Donald Trump is calling for Disney to fire Jimmy Kimmel. On Thursday, Kimmel joked that Melania Trump had looked like an “expectant widow” in a skit about the upcoming White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The skit aired days before an armed gunman made an assassination attempt at the event, which President Trump and Melania Trump attended, on Saturday. They and other administration officials were evacuated from the ballroom.
Trump demands ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel
Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump looking like an ‘expectant widow’ two days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump looking like an ‘expectant widow’ two days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
Trump — who has faced significant speculation over his health in recent months — interpreted the comment as an incitement to attack him. “I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
Melania Trump posted on X about Kimmel Monday morning. “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.”
Disney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The company suspended Kimmel in September after he made a comment about the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk following pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. He was reinstated shortly after.
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