President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have both demanded that ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he made about the president on his late night show last week. Experts in constitutional law and free speech stress that the attacks from the Trumps cannot be normalized.
On Monday, Melania Trump ripped Kimmel in a post on X days after he took digs at the Trumps as he performed a parody of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Kimmel pretended to host the event, which usually is hosted by a comedian who roasts the president and other powerful people. During his spoof monologue, Kimmel pretended the first lady was in the audience and quipped that she had “a glow like an expectant widow.”
“Melania’s birthday is on Sunday ... she’s planning to celebrate the same way she always does — looking out a window and whispering, ‘What have I done?’” he added.
Kimmel’s skit aired April 23, two days before the actual dinner, where authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the event. The 31-year-old suspect was later charged with attempting to assassinate Trump, in addition to other firearm-related charges. He is facing up to life in prison.
Despite the fact that Kimmel’s bit aired days before the dinner, Melania Trump accused the late night host of delivering a monologue that was “corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”
