Could Jimmy Kimmel face one other problem? Seven months after the comedian’s late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was temporarily suspended over a comment about Charlie Kirk, First Lady Melania Trump is now calling for ABC, his parent network, to “take a stand” against his jokes. Her most up-to-date remarks prompted viewers to wonder if Jimmy’s show is at risk of being removed.
Here’s what we all know to this point about Jimmy’s future at ABC and why Melania is asking for the network to “take a stand.”
What Did Jimmy Kimmel Say About Melania Trump?
During a taping of his late-night show on April 23, 2026, Jimmy cracked a joke about Melania and her husband, Donald Trump, in a mock version of the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He described her as having a “glow like an expectant widow,” then quipped about Donald’s depiction of himself as Jesus Christ.
“Our first lady is here. Mrs. Trump … you will have a glow like an expectant widow,” Jimmy said. “By the way in which, within the unlucky event that our president has a medical emergency tonight, do we’ve got a health care provider in the home — oh, I’m sorry. I mean, do we’ve got a Jesus in the home? I all the time confuse them, too.”
What Did Melania Trump Say About Jimmy Kimmel?
4 days later, Melania took to X to blast Jimmy as a “coward.” Her response also got here two days after the April 25, 2026, White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where suspected gunman Cole Allen opened fire.
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is meant to divide our country,” Melania tweeted. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness inside America.”
Happening to write down that others like Jimmy “shouldn’t have the chance to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” the primary lady accused the comedian of hiding “behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to guard him.”
“Enough is enough. It’s time for ABC to take a stand,” Melania continued. “How repeatedly will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior on the expense of our community?”
Is Jimmy Kimmel Getting Canceled by ABC?
No, Jimmy has not been taken off the air again, nor has his show been canceled. ABC has not publicly commented on Melania’s remarks about Jimmy. It’s unclear if the network will hurl one other suspension at him.
Shortly after Melania spoke her piece about Jimmy, Donald took to Truth Social, calling for the comedian to be “immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
“Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who’s by no means funny as attested to by his terrible Television Rankings, made an announcement on his Show that is absolutely shocking,” the Republican president began in his message. “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 can be. He then stated, ‘Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Take a look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you will have a glow like an expectant widow.’ A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and lots of knives. He was there for a really obvious and sinister reason. I appreciate that so many individuals are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally wouldn’t be conscious of anything that he said but, that is something far beyond the pale.”
That evening, on April 27, Kimmel responded to the Trumps’ comments by defending his original joke. “It was a really light roast joke in regards to the incontrovertible fact that he’s almost 80 and she or he’s younger than I’m,” he said.
On April 28, the FCC ordered Disney’s ABC stations to use for early renewal of their broadcast licenses by May 28, while citing an investigation into its DEI practices.