Fans are left questioning whether Jimmy Kimmel will be fired following backlash from President Donald Trump over a controversial joke calling Melania Trump an “expectant widow.”
The joke came days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. In response, the president took to Truth Social, demanding that the late-night host be fired for the “despicable call to violence.”
Similarly, the first lady criticized Kimmel for the joke on X. “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” she wrote. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
Kimmel retorted that the interaction and call for his firing was an all too familiar “deja vu,” a nod to the backlash and temporary suspension from his show he faced more than seven months ago after comments he made about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel returned to the stage on Monday, April 27, as usual, two days after shots were fired at the Correspondents’ Dinner. It is rumored that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will pursue legal action against Disney’s eight ABC stations in retaliation for the late-night comments and failure to pull the host from the spotlight.
Legal repercussions of the Kimmel joke
The Trump-aligned FCC is planning to file paperwork on April 28 challenging Disney’s licenses for its eight ABC stations, CNN reported. This threat to not renew ABC-owned stations will impact studios in Los Angeles and Fresno.
The Disney licenses in question aren’t due for renewal for years, meaning the legal action will most likely be viewed as retaliation by the court. CNN reports the early renewal order would trigger a lengthy hearing process, with many opportunities for stations to beat the Trump administration’s pressure. However, stations must be willing to defend themselves, a process that will be costly and time-consuming.
Kimmel defends his joke
The recent controversy stems from a bit Kimmel did on his show on Thursday, April 23. The segment was an alternative White House Correspondents’ dinner monologue in anticipation of the actual event. According to Kimmel, Trump’s dinner “breaks many years of tradition” of having a comedian as host.
“Our president is a delicate snowflake with the thinnest fat skin of any human being ever, and that means there’s going to be no comedian this year, so I thought, why not take a page from the Kid Rock alternative halftime show,” Kimmel told his live audience.
The eight-minute mock address was rife with White House roast jokes.
Kimmel addressed the backlash over the Melania jokes at the roast on April 27, saying it was “a very light roast joke” about “their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together.”
He added that he was sorry for those who were in the room for the shooting, including the president and first lady. “Just (because) no one got killed doesn’t mean it wasn’t traumatic and scary,” Kimmel said.
Kimmel isn’t the only ‘psychic’
Kimmel says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt should be under the same scrutiny for a comment made in a red-carpet interview at the dinner. He played a clip of Leavitt stating, “There will be some shots fired” during the April 27 taping of his show.
“If you want us to believe that a joke I made three days before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well then, maybe someone should look into this psychic lady, too,” Kimmel said, rebutting.
Has ABC or parent company Disney responded to Trump’s call to fire Kimmel?
Last September, Disney suspended Kimmel’s show two days after the controversial Kirk comment.
The network has not weighed in on the Trumps’ Truth Social posts calling for Kimmel to be fired. However, the network’s decision to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday signifies support rather than a statement.
Where to get tickets to Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Viewers eager to be part of the audience for upcoming shows can visit abc.com to get tickets, where they’ll be redirected to another website that lists upcoming dates for when people can request tickets.
When you select a date, you’ll be prompted to select how many tickets you want and write why you love the show or the upcoming guests.
Standby tickets are “often available” on the day of, so people can also opt for that option, and on-site coordinators will “advise whether standby is available on a given day,” according to FAQs. The standby line will be released once the show reaches capacity.
Audience members attending the studio portion of the show must be 18 or older, according to the FAQs.
Where to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which first aired in 2003, airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. People can also stream the show on Hulu and in clips on YouTube, including the White House Correspondence Dinner clip, which has now amassed more than 4.4 million views
McKenna is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What did Jimmy Kimmel say this time that has him in Trump’s hot seat?
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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