President Trump wants Kimmel fired for 'despicable call to violence'

President Donald Trump is urging ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel, accusing the comedian of a "despicable call to violence."

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

"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. "Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC."

Melania Trump speaks out against Jimmy Kimmel

Earlier in the day, the first lady took to X to similarly criticize Kimmel for the joke, which he made during an April 23 segment where he delivered a faux White House Correspondents' Association dinner monologue that was intercut with footage to make it look like he was at the then-upcoming event.

"Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country," Melania Trump wrote on X. "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."

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.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Trump?

In a segment on his show that aired on Thursday, April 23, Kimmel delivered an alternative 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, "Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."

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. In a briefing on April 27, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the alleged gunman as a "crazed, anti-Trump individual who traveled across the country to assassinate the president and as many administration officials as possible."

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.

Leavitt, in a White House briefing on April 27, denounced political violence that she argued "stems from a systemic demonization" of Trump and his supporters by commentators, elected officials and the media. The White House press secretary, who attended the dinner, specifically called out Kimmel.

"Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?" Leavitt said. "And having experienced what I did with the first lady on Saturday night, I can tell you that she was anything but that. This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady and his supporters is completely deranged, and it's unbelievable that the American people are consuming it, night after night after night."

Jimmy Kimmel suspended before for Charlie Kirk comments

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, leading to accusations that the suspension was an example of the government censoring free speech.

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." He added that the man who shot Kirk is "a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn't, ever."