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Kimmel Defends 'Expectant Widow' Joke as Trump and First Lady Press ABC to Fire Him

The clash tests how far networks will back late‑night satire during a tense security climate.

Overview

  • Following Saturday’s shooting near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Melania Trump on Monday urged ABC to “take a stand” against Jimmy Kimmel and President Trump said he should be “immediately fired.”
  • On Monday night’s show, Kimmel said the “expectant widow” line from his Thursday parody was a light roast about the Trumps’ age gap and not a call to violence.
  • Prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate the president after the Washington Hilton attack, and investigators say he aimed to target administration officials.
  • ABC and Disney have not issued a substantive public response in the reporting reviewed, as pressure mounted from conservative commentators and the White House press office for penalties or an apology.
  • The fight revives a pattern for the show, which ABC briefly suspended last September over remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing after FCC scrutiny and station preemptions.