The White House is calling for Jimmy Kimmel's firing after his recent joke about first lady Melania Trump
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White House communications director Steven Cheung called Kimmel a "s--- human being" after he did not apologize for the joke on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
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"It was not by any stretch a call to assassination and they know that I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular," Kimmel explained in his Monday monologue
The Trump administration is continuing to call forJimmy Kimmel's firing over a joke he made about first ladyMelania Trump.
On Tuesday, April 28, White House communications director Steven Cheung called theJimmy Kimmel Live!host, 58, "a s--- human being" after he didn't apologize for a joke he made about the first lady in a recent monologue.
The response from the White House arrives shortly after Kimmel addressedPresident Donald Trumpand Melania's concerns over an "obvious" joke he delivered during his Thursday, April 23 episode.
During his "alternative" White House Correspondents' Dinner segment last week, Kimmel joked that Melania had "a glow like an expectant widow."
"Jimmy Kimmel is a s--- human being for: #1. Making a disgusting joke about assassinating the President," Cheung claimed on X. "#2. Doubling down on that joke instead of doing the decent thing by apologizing. ABC needs to fire him immediately and he should be shunned for the rest of his life."
Kimmel's initial joke was geared at roasting the president and his family because "typically, somebody funny shows up" to the annual dinner, which he said wasn't the case this year. In response to the segment,Melania called for ABC to "take a stand"against Kimmel over what she alleged was "hateful and violent rhetoric" on his show.
On Monday, the president, 79, wrote on Truth Social that Kimmel should be "immediately fired by Disney and ABC," which has been the home ofJimmy Kimmel Live!since 2003.
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"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.
Kimmel insisted during his latest monologue that his remarks about the first lady could not have had an impact on the events at the actual White House Correspondents' Dinner two days later, when agunman opened fireat the event. "It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am," Kimmel said of Trump and the first lady, 56. "It was not by any stretch a call to assassination and they know that I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular."
The late-night host did not apologize for his joke aimed at the Trumps, but opted to say "sorry" that "everyone in that room on Saturday went through that."
"Just 'cause no one got killed doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic and scary," he said, encouraging people to "come together."
Kimmel’s show was previously temporarily pulled from the air on Sept. 17 after comments he made aboutCharlie Kirk’sdeath in his opening monologue on Sept. 15. FCC ChairBrendan Carrthreatened to pursue action against the network over its criticism of Trump, and Kimmel latermade his return to the airwavessix days later.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
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