David GilmourApr 30th, 2026, 10:45 am
(Screengrab via ABC)
President Donald Trump doubled down on his demand that ABC fire “seriously unfunny” late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday, claiming “people are angry” after the comedian’s joke about First Lady Melania Trump.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:
When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television? People are angry. It better be soon!!! President DJT
(Screengrab via Truth Social)
The president’s remarks as fallout grows over a skit performed by the comedian on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that aired in the days leading up to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in which the host, joking as if he were emceeing the event, said Melania Trump had the glow of an “expectant widow.”
The event actually took place on Saturday but ended shortly after it began when alleged gunman Cole Allen tried to storm the event to assassinate the president, who was in attendance.
Although authorities have not publicly linked the incident to the broadcast, Kimmel’s joke prompted backlash and a formal complaint to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In separate statements on Monday both the First Lady and the president urged the ABC to fire the comedian.
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 deepens the political sickness within America.
People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to…
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 27, 2026
On Tuesday the FCC announced it has been investigating The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries, including ABC, over potential compliance breaches related to their obligations as licensed broadcasters. It subsequently instructed the network to apply for early renewal of its broadcast licenses by May 28, several years ahead of their original 2028 expiry.
ABC has not publicly commented on Trump’s demands or indicated whether any disciplinary action against Kimmel is under consideration.
Kimmel had previously faced disciplinary action from ABC, which temporarily suspended him over a joke referencing conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination last year. At the time, FCC commissioner Brendan Carr said the agency was reviewing the broadcast licenses.
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