Not everyone is buying ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s claim that his controversial “expectant widow” joke about President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump was simply about his age.
Kimmel’s joke from Thursday went viral on social media in the wake of Saturday’s attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner, prompting both President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to issue statements calling for his firing from the Disney-owned network.
But instead of apologizing or backing down, Kimmel remained defiant Monday night, insisting his jab suggesting the first lady will be happy when her husband dies “was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80.”
“It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination,” Kimmel said.
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Fox News contributor Joe Concha declared, “Outside of those with chronic TDS, there isn’t a soul on the planet who believes this was the intent of Kimmel’s ‘joke.’”
White House director of communications Steven Cheung said that Kimmel is a “s— human” for doubling down.
“ABC needs to fire him immediately and he should be shunned for the rest of his life,” Cheung wrote.
“He knows that the things that he says are incendiary, and they tend to activate people like the alleged shooter… the joke wasn’t funny on Thursday night, and he felt it necessary to repeat it,” Fox News’ Kennedy said Tuesday on “America’s Newsroom.”
“If I were ABC, I would look at this and wonder why we’re spending so much money on someone who is so divisive and so unfunny,” she continued. “And I think that’s the bottom line.”
The White House Rapid Response 47 account called Kimmel “pathetic.”
“We all know what you meant,” Rapid Response 47 added.
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NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck posted on X: “You see, the rules are THEY are allowed to ‘joke’ about our side dying.”
“Regardless of his intent, he was joking about the President dying and Melania being happy about it, which does not belong on taxpayer-funded airwaves,” podcaster Benny Johnson reacted.
While many have mocked Kimmel’s explanation, CBS’ Gayle King and liberal actor George Clooney have defended him.
Others reacted to Kimmel’s explanation on social media:
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Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, the 31-year-old accused of targeting top Trump administration officials, is facing three counts, including attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transporting a firearm across state lines and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Top DOJ officials said Monday that additional charges are expected, and he faces life imprisonment.
“I’ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular, but I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house,” Kimmel quipped on Monday.
Last year, Kimmel was briefly suspended by Disney after controversial remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage, and ABC said the show would be preempted indefinitely. He returned to the air days later and insisted he never intended to make light of Kirk’s death.
In December, ABC extended his contract until at least May 2027.
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Fox News Digital reached out to ABC to request comment.
