Megyn Kelly surprised some of her followers after she slammed criticism from Donald Trump, who called for the comedian’s firing.
The late night host recently faced backlash after making a joke about First Lady Melania Trump during his show. The remark sparked outrage among some conservative voices, and Trump publicly called for Kimmel to be fired by ABC.
Kelly, who has also criticized Kimmel, said she disagrees with the president’s approach. Speaking on her show, she addressed the calls for Kimmel’s removal and the issue of free speech.
“If we’re gonna go by ABC/Disney’s standards, then it’s not good news for Jimmy. You know, the standard has to be applied even when the person offended is a Republican. But of course, ABC doesn’t really operate that way,” Kelly said.
She continued by directly rejecting Trump’s demand. “He just retweeted again today that he wants Kimmel fired. It’s very inappropriate. The president of the United States should not be calling for any private company to fire any employee, especially over free speech.”
Kimmel’s joke, which aired shortly before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., received backlash from the White House, but he later explained the comment was a reference to the age gap between Trump and the first lady.