Jimmy Kimmel responds to Trump's firing demand with bold 'widow' joke
Kimmel originally made his joke during a sketch on Thursday's show
Jimmy Kimmel made light of his ongoing dispute with First Lady Melania Trump during the initial moments of his Monday show.
In a segment of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the late-night presenter remarked, "You know, sometimes you wake up, and the first lady releases a statement demanding you lose your job. We've all been there, right?"
He shared on the program that his "widow" remark from Thursday went largely unnoticed until Monday, when he "started the day amidst another Twitter backlash storm."
Kimmel originally made his joke during a sketch on Thursday's show, taped just a few days before the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, DC. In the piece, he remarked that the first lady "glowed like an expectant widow."
Melania Trump criticised Kimmel in a Monday post on X, stating his "divisive rhetoric is designed to separate our nation."
She stated that Kimmel "shouldn't be allowed into our homes every evening to spread negativity," urging ABC to take a stand against him.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump expressed that Kimmel should be "promptly dismissed by Disney and ABC," adding that his remarks were "truly appalling."
Kimmel was absent from the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, when an armed individual entered the venue and fired shots.
Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Melania Trump were safely escorted from the stage.
The host reiterated his widow joke in Monday's episode, highlighting it referred to the age gap between Trump and Melania Trump.
He also addressed the first lady's criticisms, mentioning that he has been "very outspoken" on gun violence, emphasising that "divisive and violent language is something we should all reject."
The late-night host has faced scrutiny from Trump before. Last September, his show was temporarily suspended by ABC due to remarks he made on the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which were criticised by the Federal Communications Commission's chair, Brendan Carr.
The show was back on air in less than a week after a public outpouring of support for free speech advocates throughout the nation.
This presents a significant challenge for the newly appointed Disney CEO, Josh D'Amaro, under the Trump administration.
He is already dealing with the aftermath of a failed OpenAI collaboration intended to introduce AI-generated videos to Disney+.