Donald and Melania Trump have called for Jimmy Kimmel to be sacked after the late-night talk show host made a joke about the first lady.
According to Sky News, just days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, Kimmel did the sketch about the event on his programme Jimmy Kimmel Live!
He joked that the First Lady had a "glow like an expectant widow." There was no indication Kimmel was referring to violence in the sketch.
The sketch sparked furious reaction from the US president and First Lady after press dinner turned chaotic following thr shooting incident.
Reacting on Truth Social on Monday, April 27, Trump said Disney and ABC should immediately sack the comedian, who was briefly taken off-air last year over comments about the killing of Trump supporter Charlie Kirk.
Trump wrote, "Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be.”
“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," he added.
The sketch depicted Kimmel in a tuxedo, standing behind a podium pretending to deliver a comic routine 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 targeted Trump in his comedy and is no fan of the president. He came close to tears following the Republican's 2024 election win, describing it as a "terrible night."
