Trump calls for Jimmy Kimmel to be sacked following Melania joke

The joke was poorly received at the White House.

Just days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, Kimmel sketched the event on his late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

He joked that Mrs Trump has a "glow like an expectant widow".

Despite the awkward timing, there was no suggestion that Kimmel was alluding to violence in the sketch.

However, the joke was not well-received at the White House. Reacting on Truth Social, the US president said Disney and ABC should immediately sack Kimmel.

Trump wrote: "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."

Kimmel was briefly taken off-air last year over comments about the killing of Trump supporter Charlie Kirk.

The First Lady reiterated her husband’s post on X, stating that Kimmel’s “hateful and violent rhetoric” is intended to divide the US.

"His monologue about my family isn't comedy - his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America.

"People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.

"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 behaviour at the expense of our community."

The sketch showed Kimmel in a tuxedo standing at a podium, mimicking a comedy set for the WHCA dinner, with “cutaways” to the Trumps.

"Our first lady, Melania, is here. So beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," he joked.

Kimmel has long opposed Trump's presidency and makes this clear in his comedy. Following the Republicans' 2024 election win, he described it as a "terrible night".

His suspension over remarks about the September assassination of right-wing influencer Kirk drew criticism of the administration for infringing free speech, and Kimmel was reinstated five days later.

On his return, Kimmel said it was "never my intention to make light of" Kirk's death, adding that he didn't think there was anything funny about it.