President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that ABC terminate late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, claiming the comedian’s remarks constitute rhetoric that incites political violence against him. The incident follows a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner held at the Washington Hilton, where President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and senior officials were present.
An armed suspect opened fire near a security checkpoint, wounding a Secret Service agent before being subdued. Kimmel’s comments, made days prior to the tragedy during his show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, drew particular attention. During a monologue on Thursday, Kimmel referred to First Lady Melania Trump as an “expectant widow” in a segment discussing alleged connections between the president and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump asserted that Kimmel should be fired immediately, framing the dispute within a broader context of media figures normalizing hostility toward political leaders following the shooting. The first lady also criticized Kimmel for “hateful and violent rhetoric,” urging ABC to take action against him.
The president’s criticism stems from past remarks about the first lady, which Trump and his allies have cited as examples of increasingly dangerous political rhetoric. This clash builds on years of tension between Trump and Kimmel, who has frequently mocked the president on his show while Trump has repeatedly criticized the host publicly.
Kimmel faced significant backlash for previous comments about murdered conservative leader Charlie Kirk, resulting in a brief suspension and pressure from advertisers on ABC.
During Saturday’s shooting at the Hilton, the Trumps and other top officials were moved to secure locations, leading to an abrupt end to the event. In the days since, Trump and his allies have linked the incident to escalating political rhetoric, using it as justification for their criticism of Kimmel.
ABC has not yet announced any disciplinary measures against Kimmel.
