Jimmy Kimmel is facing intense backlash after using his post to crack a death joke aimed at Donald Trump, a move that critics say pushed political satire into dangerous territory.
Kimmel made the shocking comment on his ABC show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday, just two days before an attempt was made on President Trump’s life at the White House Correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. Saturday.
Since no comedian was set to host the evening, Kimmel offered an alternative, pre-taped roast, where he pretended was in the room at the Saturday night dinner while making jokes, mostly at President Trump’s expense.
Jimmy Kimmel: “Our First Lady is here. Mrs. Trump… you have a glow like an expectant widow!”
From his mock WHCD: pic.twitter.com/roDEttBxVN
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 26, 2026
“Our First Lady Melania is here… so beautiful, Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Kimmel said.
The joke quickly caught steam amongst the conservative crowd on X following the Washington Hilton incident.
Many have expressed outrage over the anti-Trump direction of the show, especially after local ABC affiliates briefly refused to run it, which then led ABC to temporarily suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” over severe on-air inaccuracies in his commentary on the murder of Charlie Kirk.
The 58-year-old comedian Kimmel has long been lauded by the press for his edgy humor. However, his off-color bits have landed him in hot water before.
One glaring example would be his ability to repeatedly use blackface and skirt by any leftist criticism. He’s appeared as NBA Player Karl Malone, Oprah Winfrey, and even Snoop Dogg on Comedy Central’s “The Man Show.”
Unlike like his temporary suspension from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” this joke was met with roaring rebukes instead of laughter — similar to the reaction he received for lying about the murder of Charlie Kirk.
Sage Steele, former ESPN sports analyst, weighed in on the controversial statement, making her stance clear in an X post.
I just don’t understand.
Hopefully new @disney CEO Josh D’Amaro will put a stop to this rhetoric, hold EVERYONE accountable (unlike his predecessor), and give this once great company a chance to get back to the Disney we all used to love. https://t.co/iK1NEG5HiU— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) April 26, 2026
Steele called on her Disney, owner of ABC and her former employer at ESPN, to put an end to this sort of violent incitement.
Other right wing voices criticized Kimmel as well.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Jimmy Kimmel is a grade-A scumbag, and probably the most loathsome, dishonorable creature to ever step foot on network TV, a very high bar.
Reminder: This is the same guy who claimed Charlie’s assassin was MAGA, and then refused to… https://t.co/NiScvlvLiz
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) April 26, 2026
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Jimmy Kimmel is a grade-A scumbag, and probably the most loathsome, dishonorable creature to ever step foot on network TV, a very high bar,” Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said.
“Reminder: This is the same guy who claimed Charlie’s assassin was MAGA, and then refused to apologize even as affiliates threatened to drop his show. Then when he was let back on by ABC, he cried a lot but never took it back. Dishonorable coward. Mark my words, he wants the exact same things that gunmen wanted.”
Hey @jimmykimmel, what is funny about this?
Joking is one thing, but wishing death on the President by telling Melania “Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow”?
That’s not comedy, that’s dangerous rhetoric.
We’re better than this.
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) April 26, 2026
“Joking is one thing, but wishing death on the President by telling Melania “Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow”? That’s not comedy, that’s dangerous rhetoric,” podcast host Patrick Bet-David wrote.
“We’re better than this.”
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