Jimmy Kimmel defends himself after Donald and Melania Trump call for his firing

Politics Jimmy Kimmel defends himself after Donald and Melania Trump call for him to be fired April 28, 2026 / 2:31 AM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Jimmy Kimmel has responded to Donald and Melania Trump calling on Monday for ABC to fire him in the wake of the late-night comic making a joke last week in which he described the first lady as having "the glow of an expectant widow." The remark about the president's wife was part of a routine on Thursday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in which he pretended to deliver a comedy routine at the then-upcoming White House Correspondents' Association dinner.That event two nights later was cut short when a man armed with guns and knives tried to enter the Washington ballroom where the Trumps and much of the nation's political leadership had gathered. "People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate," Melania Trump said in a social media post later echoed by her husband. ... "Enough is enough.  It is time for ABC to take a stand."In a post on his Truth Social platform Monday afternoon, Mr. Trump called Kimmel's joke a "despicable call to violence" and said "this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC."Kimmel described the joke during his Monday night monologue as being about the Trumps' age difference, calling it "a very light roast joke about the fact that he's 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. But I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend. ... And also, 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." After noting that all Americans have a right to free speech, Kimmel sai...