Jimmy Kimmel faces calls to be fired after Trump slams ‘widow’ joke

US President Donald Trump has called for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be removed from television following a controversial joke about First Lady Melania Trump, as tensions rise in the aftermath of a security scare at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The backlash stems from a monologue aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in which the comedian staged a mock version of the annual press gala. During the segment, recorded two days before the April 25 event, Kimmel joked about the president’s age and addressed Melania Trump directly, saying she had “a glow like an expectant widow”.

Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump during his mock speech for the White House Correspondents' Dinner

“Our First Lady is here. Mrs. Trump… you have a glow like an expectant widow”

Donald Trump is now demanding Disney fires him pic.twitter.com/qkFKHXYqw5

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) April 27, 2026

Days later, the actual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington was disrupted when a gunman breached a security perimeter outside the venue. The incident triggered an evacuation, and authorities have since charged the suspect with attempted assassination.

Trump, who has a long-running feud with Kimmel, reacted sharply in a social media post, calling the joke “really shocking” and “far beyond the pale”. He urged Disney and ABC to take immediate action, saying the host should be fired.

Melania Trump also issued a strong response, describing the remarks as “corrosive” and accusing the comedian of deepening political division. She said such content should not be broadcast into American homes and called on the network to “take a stand”.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the criticism during a briefing, labelling the rhetoric “completely deranged” and questioning why it continued to air nightly.

Kimmel responds on-air

Kimmel addressed the backlash directly on his show, opening with a pointed joke about the controversy.

Jimmy Kimmel's opening line tonight: "You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning and the first lady puts out a statement demanding you be fired from your job? We've all been there, right?" pic.twitter.com/FiAL5eu0fn

— LateNighter (@latenightercom) April 28, 2026

“You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning and the first lady puts out a statement demanding you be fired from your job? We’ve all been there, right?” he said.

The controversy intensified after Trump appeared to suggest that Kimmel’s joke had foreshadowed the security breach, further fuelling outrage among his supporters.

However, the remarks have also drawn pushback from figures in the entertainment industry. Actor George Clooney defended Kimmel during an appearance at the 51st Chaplin Award Gala in New York, arguing that comedians should not be taken literally.

“Jokes are jokes,” Clooney said, while also warning that increasingly heated political rhetoric on all sides risked escalating tensions.

He further condemned the violence linked to the Washington incident, saying there was no place for such acts in political life, and urged a broader effort to tone down hostile discourse.

The episode has reignited debate over the limits of satire in American media, particularly at a time of heightened political polarisation, where jokes, commentary and real-world events are increasingly colliding.