Melania Trump calls for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired after ‘cowardly’ skit

Melania Trump has slammed Jimmy Kimmel for a skit he performed prior to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, in which he said the first lady glowed ‘like an expectant widow.’

The late-night host, 58, held a parody of the Correspondents’ Dinner several days before the real event, which honours journalism and funds scholarships, and this year ended early due to an assassination attempt.

During a monologue at the parody dinner, Kimmel said: ‘Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.’

He continued: ‘You know, Melania’s birthday is on Sunday. She’s planning to celebrate at home the same way she always does, looking out a window and whispering, “What have I done?”‘

Kimmel’s remarks came several days before the dinner, at which, shortly after it began, shots were heard outside the room, prompting Secret Service agents to rush Trump, his wife, Melania, and Vice President JD Vance off the stage.

In response to Kimmel’s previous remarks, the first lady wrote on X on Monday: ‘Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.’

‘People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,’ she continued.

She concluded the rant by writing: ‘A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.

‘How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.’

President Trump also chimed in after his wife, writing on Truth Social: ‘I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale.’

‘Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’

This is not the first time Kimmel has clashed with the Trumps, with the talk show host routinely criticising the administration.

The president previously gloated when Jimmy Kimmel Live was briefly taken off the air following remarks the host had made about the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform at the time: ‘Great News for America: The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.

‘Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.’

Then in November, after Trump once again called for Kimmel to be fired, the host opened his show with a special message for ‘the angry orange,’ saying during his monologue: ‘Mr. President, I admire your tenacity. If you’re watching tonight, which I presume you are, how about this: I’ll go when you go, OK? We’ll be a team.

‘Let’s ride off into the sunset together like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid. And until then, if I may borrow a phrase from you, Quiet, piggy.’

He was referencing viral footage which showed the moment a journalist asked Trump about the Epstein probe on Air Force One.

‘If there’s nothing incriminating in the files, then why,‘ she began, before he interrupted, pointing to another female journalist and sneering: ‘Quiet, piggy.’