Melania Trump took to social media Monday to denounce ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, calling his on-air mockery of the first lady corrosive to the nation and demanding the Disney-owned network cut ties with the comedian.
The escalation centers on a parody of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner that aired Thursday on Kimmel's show. During the segment, Kimmel quipped that the first lady had "a glow like an expectant widow," a remark that landed two days before a gunman opened fire outside the actual Correspondents' dinner in Washington.
"His monologue about my family isn't comedy. His words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," the first lady wrote in her post. She attacked Kimmel for using his platform nightly "to spread hate" and called him "a coward" for hiding behind network protection. "It is time for ABC to take a stand," she added, questioning how many more instances the network would enable his "atrocious behavior."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced the criticism at a briefing, asking rhetorically: "Who in their right minds says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?"
The suspect arrested in connection with the shooting incident left a note to his family indicating he believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials. President Trump and other top officials were evacuated from the ballroom as the incident unfolded.
Neither ABC nor the Walt Disney Company responded to requests for comment on the first lady's statement.
Kimmel has found himself in hot water with the Trump family before. In September, ABC briefly suspended the comedian after he made remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. At that time, Kimmel suggested the MAGA movement was trying to mischaracterize the suspect's motivations. Investigators had not yet released details about the suspect's possible motive when Kimmel made those comments. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, later said the suspect grew up in a conservative household but had become influenced by leftist ideology.
Kimmel returned to air the following week with an emotional opening monologue. "You understand it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," he said, referring to Kirk. "I don't think there's anything funny about it." In December, Kimmel signed a one-year contract extension with ABC to continue hosting the network's flagship late-night show.
The first lady has expressed heightened security concerns in recent months. In the documentary "Melania," she questions the safety of the inaugural parade route. "Is it safe? Because if we go out, I think people will already know where we would go out," she says in the film. "So it's kind of like, how could that be safe, especially with the last year, what's going on and stuff?"
Speaking to CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, President Trump praised his wife's handling of the shooting incident. "She has not been through this to this extent, and she handled it great. She is very strong, smart," he said. The first lady was not present during two earlier assassination attempts on her husband, one at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and another outside his West Palm Beach golf course.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The first lady's decision to publicly escalate against Kimmel over an admittedly tasteless joke raises questions about whether the Trump family is using cultural grievances to tighten control over media criticism, especially when real security threats are at play."
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