Trump calls for 'seriously unfunny' Jimmy Kimmel to be fired ‘soon’

Marina WattsThu, April 30, 2026 at 7:33 PM UTC

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President Donald Trump; Jimmy KimmelCredit: Samir Hussein - Pool/Getty; Mindy Small/GettyKey Points -

Donald Trump is decrying Jimmy Kimmel once again, asking when ABC will fire the "seriously unfunny" late-night host.

Last week, Kimmel hosted an "alternate" White House Correspondents' Dinner, cracking wise about the president and first lady.

The couple previously demanded ABC take action over Kimmel's jabs.

Donald Trump isn't mincing his words when it comes to Jimmy Kimmel's employment.

In a social media post shared on Thursday, Trump decried the late-night host once again, asking when ABC would fire Kimmel. The president and Kimmel have long feuded, but have engaged in a back-and-forth most recently after Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump looking like an "expectant widow."

"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!!!" the president wrote.

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Entertainment Weekly contacted the White House, Jimmy Kimmel, and ABC, and did not receive an immediate response.

Jimmy KimmelCredit: Disney/Randy Holmes

On Thursday, April 23, while staging an "alternate" White House Correspondents' Dinner roast, Kimmel took aim at the president and first lady, making jokes about everything from Trump's alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein and an AI generated picture of the president as Jesus.

"Welcome to the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner," Kimmel began. "Look at you, all dressed up in formal wear, dresses, tuxedos. I haven't seen this much black since every page of the Trump-Epstein Files."

Kimmel then addressed Trump. "I'm happy you decided to stay, Mr. President," he said, adding, "And don't worry if we bruise your ego — it will only make your hands look less disgusting."

Kimmel then turned his attention towards the first lady, who he said had "a glow like an expectant widow." The comedian then shouted out the self-titled Amazon documentary about her, simply called Melania. "I want to congratulate you, Madam First Lady, on your huge accomplishment: the world's first motionless picture."

When the actual White House Correspondents' Dinner took place on April 25, gunfire broke out at the Washington, D.C., Hilton hotel where the event was being held.

The alleged gunman, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California, reportedly rushed through a security checkpoint with multiple weapons and fired several gunshots. He was charged with attempting to assassinate the president on Monday, along with two federal gun charges, PEOPLE reported.

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The president and first lady responded to the jokes on social media days later.

"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," the first lady said on X on April 27 in a rare statement. "People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate."

"A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him," she continued, "Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community."

"Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be. He then stated, 'Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,'" the president wrote on Truth Social hours later.

"A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives. He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason," he continued.

"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," he wrote. "Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Melania Trump and U.S. President Donald Trump on April 25, 2026Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty

Kimmel addressed the joke on his Monday night episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, saying that the jab "obviously was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together."

"It was a very light roast joke about the fact that [Trump] is almost 80 and she's younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination, and they know that I've been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular."

Kimmel did point out the common ground he shared with the first lady, adding, "I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it."

ABC previously temporarily suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live for a week following a joke Kimmel made about the "MAGA gang" response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The FCC Chairman Brendan Carr encouraged ABC's parent company to take action.

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