Overview
- President Trump and Melania Trump on Monday demanded ABC and parent Disney dismiss Jimmy Kimmel, citing his April 23 sketch that joked the first lady had “a glow like an expectant widow.”
- The joke drew new scrutiny after Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner security breach, when suspect Cole Tomas Allen allegedly shot and injured a Secret Service agent before being arrested.
- Kimmel later defended the line on his show Monday night, calling it a light roast about the Trumps’ age gap and saying it was not a call to violence.
- White House officials condemned the remark, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it deranged and part of rhetoric they say normalizes violence.
- ABC has not announced action regarding Kimmel, whose show returned from a 2025 suspension and remains under contract through May 2027, while Allen is in custody and faces federal charges including attempting to assassinate the president.