Veteran talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, a renowned critic of President Donald Trump, has been facing immense backlash for his “expectant widow” joke about Melania Trump after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2026. While no one was harmed, this has created a hostile environment for Kimmel on the online platforms.
Jimmy Kimmel criticized for his joke on Melania Trump
Veteran talk show host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump on Thursday during a parody of the annual journalism event that has since become controversial.
Kimmel, a longtime critic of President Donald Trump and his administration, said on Thursday, “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” He added, “You know, Melania’s birthday is on Sunday. She’s planning to celebrate at home the same way she always does, looking out a window and whispering, ‘What have I done?'”
After the attack at the Washington Hilton, where Donald Trump and many of his top administrators were in attendance, Kimmel’s comments have sparked a huge backlash online.
“SHAME ON YOUR POLITCAL BS … Kimmel ‘joked’ about Melania being a widow 2 days before another attempt?? Incitement much?? The whole network needs to be shut down,” one user wrote on X. Yet another user wrote, “Jimmy Kimmel is at it again. On his Thursday show, he did a parody of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and mocked Melania Trump, saying she has ‘a glow like an expectant widow’. This is sick and tasteless. Is it time for ABC to pull the plug on Jimmy’s show?”
Another user added, “Just a few days ago, Jimmy Kimmel was mocking Trump’s attendance at the WH Correspondents Dinner and said Melania will ‘glow like an expectant widow.’ This has to stop. It’s not funny.”
Many others felt that Kimmel crossed a line with this joke. The host has not yet commented on the backlash.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on Mandatory.
