Jimmy Kimmel has defended his “very light roast” after joking Melania Trump had a “glow like an expectant widow”.
The 58-year-old late night host made the quip on Jimmy Kimmel Live! days before an alleged assassination attempt on her husband Donald Trump, 79, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday (April 25), and the US First Lady, 56, branded his comments “hateful and violent rhetoric”.
During Monday’s monologue, Jimmy responded: “[It was] obviously a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together.”
He added; “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am.
“It was not by any stretch a call to assassination and they know that I’ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular.”
Kimmel added that he is “sorry” for the “traumatic and scary” experience Melania and Donald went through along with “everyone in that room”.
The event was disrupted by gunfire on Saturday evening, with authorities later identifying the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who has now been charged with attempting to assassinate Trump after a court hearing on Monday.
The White House has said the Correspondents’ Dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days.
Kimmel said: “Just because no one got killed doesn’t meant it wasn’t traumatic and scary. And we should come together and be best. We really should.
“But if you want us to believe that a joke I made three days before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well maybe you should look into this psychic lady, too.”
He then showed a video of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hyping up the president’s speech before the dinner, joking there would be “some shots fired in the room tonight”.
Kimmel quipped: “You know who’s going to be furious when she hears that? White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.”
Responding to Kimmel’s original remarks last week, Melania fumed: “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.”
She continued: “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
Melania added: “A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough.
“It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community.”
Meanwhile, Trump later took to Truth Social to criticise the “shocking” joke, and called for Kimmel to be “immediately fired by Disney and ABC”.
He wrote: “I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale.”
The comments followed Kimmel’s parody of the dinner broadcast, in which he referenced Melania’s appearance and upcoming birthday.
During the segment, he said: “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
He added: “You know, Melania’s birthday is on Sunday. She’s planning to celebrate at home the same way she always does, looking out a window and whispering, ‘What have I done?'”
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