Jimmy Kimmel is responding after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump publicly called for him to be fired from Jimmy Kimmel Live!
During his April 27 monologue, the comedian opened with a joke about the backlash.
“Sometimes you wake up in the morning and the first lady puts out a statement demanding you be fired from your job,” Jimmy Kimmel said. “We’ve all been there, right?”
The controversy stemmed from comments Kimmel made days earlier about Melania during a roast-style segment. After a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend, Melania released a statement accusing Kimmel of using “hateful and violent rhetoric” and said, “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
Jimmy Kimmel obliterated Trump and his administration…
— Not Your Average Liberal (@NotAvgLiberal) April 25, 2026
Fucking nailed it. pic.twitter.com/ejNU15ThFa
Kimmel rejected the accusation, saying the joke was about the couple’s age difference.
“It obviously was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together,” he said.
He also expressed sympathy for those affected by the incident.
“I am sorry that you, and the president and everyone in that room went through that,” Kimmel said. “Just because no-one got killed doesn’t mean it was not traumatic and scary.”
Jimmy Kimmel delivers barbed remarks in his first monologue since Melania Trump demanded his firing for jokes the comedian told about her.pic.twitter.com/nFO4UUum6p
— Really American (@ReallyAmerican1) April 28, 2026
President Donald Trump later urged ABC and Disney to dismiss Kimmel.