Jimmy Kimmel defends Melania ‘widow’ joke after the Trumps call for him to be fired
Jimmy Kimmel has defended a joke he made about Melania Trump, which the Trumps have labeled as inciting violence. Kimmel stated that his comment was a light roast and not a call to violence, emphasizing the importance of free speech. Melania Trump criticized Kimmel's rhetoric as hateful and called for ABC to take action against him.
- ▪Kimmel's joke about Melania Trump was made days before a shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner.
- ▪Melania Trump accused Kimmel of using hateful and violent rhetoric in her response.
- ▪Kimmel argued that his joke was not intended to incite violence and was merely a commentary on the age difference between the Trumps.
7 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 19 hours. Coverage spans 3 points on the political spectrum — 1 lean left, 4 centre, 1 right.
- ▪ Jimmy Kimmel fires back at Melania Trump over backlash to 'widow' joke — The Blaze
- ▪ Kimmel: ‘Widow’ joke was based on Trump age, not ‘call to assassination’ — The Hill
- ▪ Jimmy Kimmel says joke about Melania was not a 'call to assassination' — The Globe and Mail
- ▪ ‘Not a call to assassination’: Kimmel defends Melania gag after Trumps demand he be fired — The Sydney Morning Herald
- ▪ Jimmy Kimmel says joke was not call for assassination as Trumps call for his ouster after shooting — NBC News Top Stories
- ▪ Jimmy Kimmel doubled down on his 'widow' joke at his first show after Trump called for his firing — Business Insider
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/melania-trump-jimmy-kimmel-abc-spat |
| Publication time | Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:50:44 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-04-28T06:11:59.637Z |
| Last seen | 2026-04-28T06:11:59.637Z |
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| Cluster | d7WBv92QNZPY · 7 stories |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
2:12Trump and White House fire back at Kimmel over Melania 'expectant widow’ joke – videoMelania TrumpJimmy Kimmel defends Melania ‘widow’ joke after the Trumps call for him to be firedFirst lady accuses the comedian of ‘hateful and violent rhetoric’ over joke made days before the White House press dinner shootingChris Stein in WashingtonTue 28 Apr 2026 01.50 EDTFirst published on Mon 27 Apr 2026 12.11 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleJimmy Kimmel has refused to apologise for a joke made days before the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting in which he described Melania Trump as glowing “like an expectant widow”, after both Donald Trump and the first lady accused him of inciting violence.On Monday Melania Trump accused Kimmel of “hateful and violent rhetoric” and “atrocious…
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