Jimmy Kimmel defends Melania joke following Trump assassination attempt and backlash- What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Melania Trump?

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel used his opening monologue of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to defend his joke made on April 23, just two days before the supposed attack on US President Donald Trump. He said that his joke was misconstrued as a “call to assassination”. “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” Kimmel said. “It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination,” Kimmel rejected the notion that “a joke I made three days ago before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened.” Kimmel invoked the First Amendment to assert that “Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants, as are you, as am I, and as are all of us." He further suggested that it was necessary to dial down on hateful rhetoric and perhaps it will be great if the First Lady start this at her home with her husband.

Kimmel, during a mock White House Correspondents' Dinner segment on April 23, 2026, made several jokes directed at the POTUS and the FLOTUS. He quipped about Donald Trump and Epstein's friendship. "30 years ago, you were just some rich guy on Epstein's private jet — but you worked hard... and got to fly on that plane seven more times" Then he made a joke addressing Melania Trump's beauty, “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania—so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."

Fortunately or unfortunately, just a couple of days after the joke, US President Donald Trump faced an attack at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Melania Trump accused the comedian of deepening "the political sickness within America”

“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,” said Melania Trump in a statement on social media platform X. She urged the ABC network to take a stand against Kimmel.

Donald Trump, who had always criticised Jimmy Kimmel and called him "unfunny", remarked on "his terrible Television Ratings," once again asked ABC Network and Disney to fire Kimmel immediately. He described the joke as a “despicable call to violence”.

“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. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” wrote Trump on a Truth Social post on Monday.

Kimmel had been removed once in September 2025, over comments he made following the assassination of the conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk. ABC briefly suspended Kimmel’s show that month. FCC head Brendan Carr threatened that anyone who aired Kimmel would face a fine or loss of licenses. In March, Carr once again threatened not to renew the licenses of broadcasters who would give unfavourable coverage of the Trump administration's war on Iran.