Facing criticism over his joke about Melania Trump looking like an "expectant widow," Jimmy Kimmel had four options in last night's monologue. He could:
- Ignore it
- Acknowledge that the joke was in poor taste and apologize, especially in light of the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents Dinner, not to mention the two prior assassination attempts
- Defend his joke honestly and claim that all topics are open to comics, including assassination
- Lie to his audience about the joke
To no one's surprise, Kimmel took the gutless fourth option:
POS Jimmy Kimmel doubles down after First Lady Melania called for ABC to fire Kimmel for his vile rhetoric at the WHCD, amid another assassination attempt.
— Mike Engleman🇺🇲 (@RealHickory) April 28, 2026
ABC/Disney continues to allow trash like him and PMS on steroids morons at The View to do this all the time! pic.twitter.com/DNo1P70iJD
Kimmel on Monday swore that his performance was “a pretend roast” far removed from the purported assassination attempt.
“There was no big reaction to it until this morning, when I faced yet another Twitter vomit storm and calls to fire me from our first lady,” Kimmel said.
He insisted that the joke was “about [Melania’s] age difference and the look of joy we see on her face” whenever she and Trump are together.
Er ... sure, pal. Melania Trump just celebrated her 56th birthday on Sunday, the day after another hate-filled leftist tried to kill her soon-to-be-80 husband. A 24-year age difference may seem remarkable, and it can be, but it certainly isn't in Hollywood. Does anyone think for a moment that Kimmel would pull that "expectant widow" joke on anyone else in the entertainment industry over the age difference in their marriage?
Come on, man. No one who's watched Kimmel transform himself into a stupid version of Lonesome Rhodes over the last decade could possibly buy that explanation. Kimmel wasn't telling widow jokes about Jill Biden during Joe's time in the White House, despite Joe looking far more like a corpse than Trump ever did. In fact, Kimmel fronted a 2024 fundraiser for Biden just before he imploded in the CNN debate against Trump, wherein the doddering president had to be helped to find his way offstage by Barack Obama, an episode only reported by mainstream media in its Now It Can Be Told literary money-grabs. Did Kimmel ever admit to that, let alone joke about Biden's imminent departure?
Kimmel was rooting for the next assassin, and everyone knows it. That was the point. Kimmel's chortling with glee about Trump's death, whenever and however it comes. And he'll be rooting for the next assassin too, and doing it on network broadcasts from coast to coast.
Anyway. Kimmel and his ever-shrinking Antifa audience may buy this "poor me" recasting of his assassination chic, but his pathetic cries of victimhood won't extend much further than that. Not that he needs to worry about being fired, because it has become clear that ABC and Disney are every bit as morally demented as their late-night host and the panel on The View. Choose your entertainment options with that in mind, not to mention news sources for trust and honesty.
Stand by for a post from our VIP contributor Christian Toto about the very different reception another comic got for joking about harm to a president. Not this president, clearly.
Update: Joe Concha isn't buying it either:
Called it. And no, Jimmy… that wasn’t remotely the intent of your “joke.” https://t.co/IaCQbWWXbg
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) April 28, 2026
To be fair, though, Concha isn't in the Kimmel stunted-development demo.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy HotAir's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member