Washington, United States. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said on Monday that a joke he made about U.S. first lady Melania Trump had been misconstrued and was not a “call to assassination.” He addressed the controversy during the opening monologue of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Kimmel responds to criticism of parody segment
Kimmel said he was responding to comments made last Thursday in a parody segment on the White House correspondents’ dinner. He said his quip that Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow” referred to the age difference between the first lady and her husband, President Donald Trump.
“It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” Kimmel said. “It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.”
Trump calls for Kimmel to be fired
Earlier on Monday, Trump said Kimmel should immediately be fired by ABC and parent company Walt Disney DIS.N, joining his wife in criticizing Kimmel for remarks made prior to a shooting near a weekend gathering of journalists and politicians.
Shooting at Washington Hilton prompts evacuation
The Trumps were rushed out of Saturday’s dinner after a shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. A suspect identified as Cole Allen charged through a checkpoint and fired at Secret Service agents, wounding one, before being subdued and arrested.
Broadcaster pressure and free-speech protections
Trump has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programs he dislikes or that have been critical of him, and has pressed regulators to revoke licenses of broadcasters he says are unfair to him. Experts said broadcasters have broad First Amendment rights to make jokes, even those that are distasteful.
Melania Trump condemns remarks
Melania Trump called Kimmel’s remarks “corrosive” and described them as a symptom of what she characterized as a political sickness in the United States.
What do you think broadcasters should do when political figures call for a show or host to be removed?
