Overview
- Jimmy Kimmel, who answered President Trump’s renewed firing demand on Thursday, flipped the president’s ratings jab by saying low approval numbers would put them both out of a job.
- ABC and parent company Disney continue to air Jimmy Kimmel Live and, according to network insiders, have no plans to suspend or fire the host.
- The FCC ordered an accelerated review of ABC’s station licenses after complaints from religious broadcasters, a step critics call unprecedented even as FCC leaders deny White House pressure.
- Kimmel’s April 23 joke that Melania Trump had a “glow like an expectant widow” drew sharp backlash after a security incident at the Correspondents’ Dinner, and he later defended it as a light roast rather than a call to violence.
- Reaction has split, with Megyn Kelly calling the president’s push to get Kimmel fired inappropriate, Kathy Griffin and Meryl Streep defending the host, and Rob Schneider urging Disney to remove him.