Will Jimmy Kimmel be fired after Trump backlash to 'expectant widow' joke?

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYTue, April 28, 2026 at 1:12 PM UTC

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Jimmy Kimmel is facing renewed calls for his firing after a controversial joke calling Melania Trump an "expectant widow."

The comic has been facing backlash for jokingly saying first lady Melania Trump was glowing like an "expectant widow" on a Thursday, April 23, episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," prior to the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. After the Saturday shooting, some of Kimmel's critics resurfaced his joke and accused him of promoting political violence.

By Monday, President Donald Trump would urge ABC to fire Kimmel in a Truth Social post over the alleged "call to violence."

"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," Trump wrote. "Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC."

1 / 0Most memorable Jimmy Kimmel moments in photos

Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.

USA TODAY has reached out to ABC and Disney for comment.

Kimmel faces calls for his firing, again. Will ABC 'take a stand'?

When it comes to facing calls for his firing from Trump, this is far from Kimmel's first rodeo. The president has regularly called for Kimmel to be removed from the air.

In September 2025, Trump celebrated after ABC controversially suspended the comedian for comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel had said that "the MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize" the suspect charged with killing Kirk "as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

Jimmy Kimmel sparked backlash for calling Melania Trump an "expectant widow" in a recent episode of his show.

Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, urged ABC to take action against Kimmel. The comedian was subsequently taken off the air, sparking outcry and accusations of government censorship. ABC, with parent company Disney, returned the show to air days later. The late-night host said in his return that the "sick person" who shot Kirk "believed violence was a solution, and it isn't, ever."

The companies have yet to respond to these latest calls for Kimmel's firing.

President Trump wants Kimmel fired for 'despicable call to violence'

What did Jimmy Kimmel say?

Kimmel made his original comments on the April 23 episode of his late-night show. Because a comic was not scheduled to headline the White House Correspondents' Association dinner that weekend, Kimmel delivered an "alternative" monologue that was intercut with clips of the president and the first lady to make it look like he was performing at the event.

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During this monologue, Kimmel made a joke suggesting the first lady would be happy about the president's death.

"Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," he quipped.

1 / 0Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, see late-night hosts who have beefed with President Trump

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!", will resume production after it was pulled off the air Sept. 17, following comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. Kimmel, a frequent critic of Donald Trump, often earned the ire of the president.After the announcement, Trump urged other networks to do the same. Scroll to see the other late-night talk show hosts that have feuded with the president over the years.

Kimmel responds to Melania Trump's call for his firing: 'Have a conversation with your husband'

The first lady has also suggested ABC should fire Kimmel, who is a vocal critic of the Trump administration and has frequently drawn the ire of the president.

"Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country," Melania Trump wrote in an X post. "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."

Melania Trump attends the White House Correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026.

She continued, "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."

Jimmy Kimmel responds to White House calls for his firing

Kimmel took to his show later in the day in response, explaining during his monologue that the joke was "about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together." Trump is 79, while his wife is 56.

"It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination, and they know that I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular," Kimmel said. "I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject, I do, and I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it."

DC gala shooting suspect charged with attempting to assassinate Trump

A gunman opened fire outside of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, with the president, first lady and other administration officials in attendance, two days later. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on April 27 described the suspect as a "crazed anti-Trump individual who traveled across the country to assassinate the president and as many administration officials as possible."

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Jimmy Kimmel be fired after 'expectant widow' joke?

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