Jimmy Kimmel has refused to apologise for a joke he made days before the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, after Donald and Melania Trump accused him of inciting violence.
The US president and First Lady have called for Kimmel to be sacked after he called Melania an "expectant widow" in a sketch on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live! last Thursday.
However, Kimmel has insisted that the joke was not “a call to assassination” but a "light roast" about the 23-year age difference between Trump and his wife.
Just days after the joke aired, a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington DC, which Trump attended with Melania, with authorities saying the attack may have targeted members of the Trump administration.
The sketch, in which Kimmel pretended to be the event’s MC, featured him in a tuxedo, standing behind a podium delivering a comic routine with "cutaways" to the Trumps.
Kimmel joked: "Our first lady, Melania, is here. So beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."
There was no indication Kimmel was referring to violence in the sketch.
Beginning Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday evening, the comedian expressed sympathy for the traumatic and scary experience that those in attendance at the event went through, but stressed that he was not inciting violence.
Kimmel said: “Obviously, it was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together. It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not – by any stretch of the definition – a call to assassination. And they know that. I’ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence, in particular.
“But I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house. And also, I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do, and I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it. Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants to say, as are you and as am I. Because under the First Amendment, we have, as Americans, a right to free speech.
“Just because no one got killed doesn’t mean it wasn’t traumatic and scary, and we should come together. We really should. But if you want us to believe that a joke I made three days before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well then, maybe someone should look into this psychic lady too.”
Earlier on Monday, Melania Trump posted on X accusing Kimmel of “hateful and violent rhetoric”, and called for ABC to fire the comedian.
She wrote: “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. 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.”
Meanwhile, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social, where he also called for Kimmel’s dismissal.
He 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. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
Kimmel was taken off air and suspended by ABC in September for comments he made following the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
His suspension was met with criticism from the public and many high-profile figures for infringing on freedom of speech and free press, which led to Kimmel’s return five days later.
On his return, Kimmel said he had not intended to make light of Kirk's death, but accepted that some of his comments had been "ill-timed or unclear or maybe both".
The President and First Lady were unharmed following the attack on Saturday evening. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, appeared in court on Monday where he was charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
