Jimmy Kimmel has defended a joke about Melania Trump that sparked calls for his dismissal from Donald Trump and the first lady. During a monologue on Monday night, the ABC host refused to apologise, saying the remark was a 'light roast' about the couple's age difference, not a call to violence.
The joke, made three days before the White House correspondents' dinner shooting, described Mrs Trump as glowing 'like an expectant widow'. The first lady accused Kimmel of 'hateful and violent rhetoric' and demanded ABC fire him, while Donald Trump said the comedian should be 'immediately fired by Disney and ABC'.
Kimmel noted the joke was made before the shooting and stressed he has long spoken out against gun violence. He said he understood Mrs Trump had a 'stressful experience' but suggested President Trump should also reconsider his rhetoric. 'Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants ... under the First Amendment,' Kimmel said, adding that Americans have a right to free speech.
The Trumps' backlash follows a previous incident in September when Kimmel was suspended after the FCC chair threatened ABC over jokes about the president. Kimmel returned after an uproar over free speech concerns.
Some Republicans also criticised Kimmel, while others noted the president's own history of violent language, including calling on crowds to 'knock the crap out' of protesters and urging supporters to 'fight like hell' after the 2020 election.
