Jimmy Kimmel addressed criticism from Melania Trump during his monologue Monday night, keeping the controversy alive as online calls to boycott Disney and ABC continued to spread following his joke about the first lady in a parody of last week's White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The late-night host's comments on came hours after both Melania Trump and President Donald Trump publicly condemned the joke and urged Disney — ABC's parent company — to take action, calling the joke "hateful and violent" in light of a shooting scare near the correspondents' dinner. Kimmel rejected that notion on air, saying the line was intended as satire to poke fun at their age difference, and not a call for violence.
While Disney has remained silent and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" remains on air, "Disney boycott" and #BoycottDisney has gained traction on X, Reddit, Truth Social, and other social media platforms, with curiosity growing over whether the backlash could put pressure on the company to take action.
Online reaction to Kimmel’s comments remained active into Tuesday. Hashtags such as #FireJimmyKimmel and #CancelABC were scattered across posts, with small petitions to "Fire Jimmy Kimmel" or "Remove Jimmy Kimmel" started — though most discussion centered on a broad "Disney boycott" discussion.
