Melania Trump blasts Jimmy Kimmel over “widow” joke

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump strongly criticized TV host Jimmy Kimmel on Monday, accusing the frequent critic of Donald Trump of promoting “hate and violence rhetoric” after a monologue last week that sparked outrage within the administration, AFP reports, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Melania Trump’s message on X came two days after the armed incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, attended by the presidential couple.

According to the White House, the suspect allegedly attempted to assassinate Donald Trump and senior officials of his administration.

Two days before the attack, Jimmy Kimmel had parodied the traditional comedian’s monologue at the event on his show on ABC, where presidents are typically the subject of light satire.

During the sketch, he notably said that the First Lady had “the aura of a future widow.”

His remarks were condemned Monday, including by senior White House official James Blair, who said the comments were meant to “legitimize political violence.”

“Jimmy Kimmel should not be on television,” Blair added on X.

For Melania Trump, “this monologue about my family is not humor.”

“People like Kimmel should not be allowed into our homes every night to spread hate,” she added, calling the host a “coward” and urging ABC to take action.

This is not the first time Kimmel has faced sharp criticism from the Trump administration.

A major late-night TV figure, Jimmy Kimmel previously angered parts of the American right in September, when he was accused of politically exploiting the killing of pro-Trump influencer Charlie Kirk.

Owned by Disney, ABC temporarily suspended Kimmel, but after backlash and accusations of censorship, the network reinstated him a week later.

Donald Trump had welcomed the suspension as “great news for America”, before later criticizing his return to what he called “fake news ABC.”