First Lady Melania Trump says ABC should take a stand against Jimmy Kimmel's 'atrocious behavior'
US First Lady Melania Trump arrives in the White House Cross Hall in Washington, DC, on April 9, 2026, ahead of a statement denying any links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his abuse. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Imag
First Lady Melania Trump on Monday urged ABC executives to "take a stand" against late night host Jimmy Kimmel and his "hateful" language after he referred to her as "an expectant widow" days before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was interrupted by a suspected attempted assassin.
The First Lady posted on X Monday morning:
"People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate… Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand."
Late-night host Stephen Colbert on March 8, 2026, during the 2026 Writers Guild Awards New York Ceremony. Jimmy Kimmel during his show on March 16, 2026. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Writers Guild of America East; Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Im
The backstory:
Last week, Kimmel mocked President Donald Trump and the First Lady in a White House Correspondents' Dinner parody last week, calling her "an expectant widow" and joked about her marriage.
"Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," Kimmel said in his parody of the event on Thursday.
CBS late show host Stephen Colbert also took aim at the President last week.
"Folks, I try to remember not to be in Washington, D.C., as often as possible. But there is certainly no time I am there less than the weekend of the White House correspondents’ dinner, which is why, this Saturday, I will again not be, but, and it’s a big but. But for reasons that are not clear to me, many others will. If you’re not familiar with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, it is, traditionally, a lighthearted night when the press and politicians get together, and, in my personal experience, stare in dead-eyed silence at the performer while the president mentally orders a hit by SEAL Team 6," Colbert said.
The jokes have drawn criticism after authorities say Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., rushed a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, armed with multiple weapons, and opened fire, striking a Secret Service agent. The officer survived and Allen was taken into custody.
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Authorities said Allen will face charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer, as well as other potential counts. A search of state and federal court databases showed no indication Allen had ever previously been charged with a crime, according to the Associated Press.
ABC did not immediately respond to a request from FOX News for comment.
What they're saying:
White House Press Secretary also addressed the comments Monday.
"Who in their right mind would say a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?" Leavitt said. "And having experienced what I did with the first lady on Saturday night, I can tell you that she was anything but that. This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely deranged. And it's unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night."
She later added, "We need to recommit ourselves as a country to toning down the rhetoric and to unifying around what makes our country great."
The Source: Information in this article includes information from FOX News, The Associated Press, and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Orlando.