Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel doubled down on a contentious joke he made about First Lady Melania Trump as he attempted to defend himself following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel repeated the line from a mock roast he performed on his show the previous Thursday—just days before the attempted assassination of Trump and his cabinet members—despite backlash over its tone and timing. He had framed the segment as a stand-in for the traditional comedy roast typically featured at the annual dinner, which was canceled this year.
The joke targeted the first lady directly and hinted at the death of her husband, President Donald Trump. “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Kimmel said.
He repeated the same remark word-for-word on Monday, even after a failed assassination attempt against Donald Trump and criticism from Melania, who accused him of promoting “hateful and violent rhetoric.”
Authorities say the suspected gunman, Cole Allen, entered the Washington Hilton on Saturday with the alleged goal of attacking members of the Trump administration. Kimmel maintained that his original bit was purely comedic and unrelated to the violence.
“There was no big reaction to it until this morning, when I faced yet another Twitter vomit storm and calls to fire me from our first lady,” Kimmel said.
He added that the joke centered on “about [Melania’s] age difference and the look of joy we see on her face” when she appears alongside the president.
Earlier Monday, Melania responded on social media, writing that “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,” she wrote on X.
President Trump also weighed in, urging the network behind Kimmel’s show to take action.
“Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” the president wrote on Truth Social, echoing the first lady’s stance and referencing ABC and its parent company The Walt Disney Company.
Despite the backlash, Kimmel offered a brief nod of sympathy toward Melania, describing her weekend as one of several “stressful” moments, and joked that he might now support the president’s proposed White House ballroom renovation going forward.
The controversy also affected his show’s lineup. Scheduled guest Oz Pearlman canceled his appearance following the shooting and ensuing criticism. Pearlman had been positioned between the president and first lady at the dinner when gunfire broke out nearby.
Filling in was podcaster Jon Lovett, who took aim at the absent performer with a series of jokes.
“I’m sending a message to the mentalist right now … you canceled, you —,” Lovett said, with the final words censored.
Kimmel also alluded to past controversies, noting similarities to prior backlash he faced over jokes involving political violence.
“This was like déjà vu for me today,” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.