President Donald Trump has called on ABC to sack late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after a joke about First Lady Melania Trump sparked outrage at the White House.
The president made the demand on Monday, describing Kimmel’s remark in which he referred to Melania as an “expectant widow” as offensive and dangerous.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the comedian should be “immediately fired” by ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Company.
Melania Trump had earlier voiced her anger, accusing Kimmel of crossing the line.
In a strongly worded statement, she said the joke was not comedy but rhetoric that fuels division, adding that such comments should not be broadcast into people’s homes.
The backlash comes days after a tense security scare at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where Trump, his wife, and other top officials had to be evacuated following reports of a gunman.
Kimmel’s joke was delivered during a mock version of the event on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, shortly before the real incident.
During the segment, Kimmel poked fun at the president and his family, as is typical of the dinner’s tradition of political satire.
But the timing and tone of his remarks have now drawn criticism from the administration, with officials arguing that such rhetoric can contribute to a charged political climate.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the comments as “completely deranged,” suggesting that language like that could influence unstable individuals.
ABC has not publicly responded, and Kimmel has yet to address the controversy.
The situation now puts the network and Disney’s new leadership in a delicate position, as it weighs political pressure against concerns about free speech and editorial independence.
