Trump Demands Jimmy Kimmel’s Sack Over ‘Expectant Widow’ Joke About First Lady Melania

United States President Donald Trump has called for the immediate dismissal of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following a controversial parody in which he described First Lady Melania Trump as an “expectant widow”.

The remark, made during a sketch aired days before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, has sparked widespread backlash, with the White House and the First Lady condemning the joke as “hateful and violent.”

Kimmel, speaking during his show, had said: “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”

In response, Melania Trump took to X (formerly Twitter), stating that “people like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”

She added: “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America… How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community.”

President Trump, in a post on Truth Social, described the joke as a “call to violence,” saying: “[T]his is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”

The controversy intensified after a shooting incident occurred at the Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., which both the president and the First Lady attended. Authorities said the gunman may have been targeting members of the Trump administration.

Kimmel, however, defended the joke, describing it as a “very light roast” referencing the 23-year age gap between the president and his wife.

“It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination and they know that. I’ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular,” he said.

“I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I think a great place to start to dial that back is having a conversation with your husband about it,” Kimmel added.

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended at the venue and later charged with attempting to assassinate the president, alongside multiple weapons-related offences. He has yet to enter a plea.