Jimmy Kimmel speculates about Melania Trump's address on Epstein

Jimmy Kimmel is offering his take on why Melania Trump unexpectedly addressed her ties to Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, April 9.

During his monologue on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the comedian questioned the timing of the first lady's press conference, which came days after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

"He spent the past six weeks trying to bomb this Epstein story out of the headlines. Two days after the ceasefire, she puts it right back on top," Kimmel said.

"She must really hate him. I don't know how else to explain it," he added.

Kimmel, a known critic of the president, has criticized Trump's handling of the war in Iran. The late-night host earlier this week slammed Trump's threat to kill Iran's "whole civilization."

During her news conference on April 9, Melania Trump denounced what she called "lies" and "false smears" about her ties to Epstein, adding that she was not friends with the convicted sex offender did not know about his crimes.

'Big surprise': Jimmy Kimmel addresses Melania Trump's comments on Epstein

Kimmel called Melania Trump's address "a big surprise," joking that she "emerged from the rubble of the East Wing" to deliver her comments about Epstein.

"She brushed the drywall off her business suit and delivered a doozy of a prepared statement demanding that we stop talking about something no one was talking about," Kimmel said.

Kimmel also responded to Melania Trump's assertion that "numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been calculating on social media for years now."

The host referenced President Trump's alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

"This is the same speech he gave her after Stormy Daniels. She's just regurgitating it," Kimmel said. "But the bigger question is, what images have been calculating around social media? What is she talking about? And I haven't seen any images."

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.