As backlash continues to swirl around Jimmy Kimmel, one of his oldest collaborators is stepping in to defend him. And this time, it's someone whose political views are pretty much the opposite of the late-night television host's.
Speaking on The Adam Carolla Show, Adam Carolla dismissed the uproar over Kimmel’s “expectant widow” line about First Lady Melania Trump as overblown and fundamentally misunderstood. The First Lady, President Donald Trump, and other prominent conservatives have called for ABC and Disney to fire Kimmel over the joke.
“That’s a pretty typical roast joke,” Carolla said. “It is also a trope: Any younger, beautiful woman who’s married to an older guy, especially if the guy’s rumored to be sort of a douchey, you would make that joke at any roast.”
It's not lost on Carolla that Kimmel wouldn't be hearing any threats to his job if the timing worked out differently. The original bit on Jimmy Kimmel Live! didn't receive much attention, only gaining traction after the violence at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
“Like, this thing happened, then the joke happened before,” he said, referring to the violent incident involving a gunman allegedly set on assassinating the president that critics have tried to link to Kimmel’s monologue. “So, A) it’s unrelated.”
He also brushed aside arguments that Kimmel shouldn’t be held responsible because he may not have written the joke himself. Carrolla knows how these shows work, but Kimmel takes the heat whether fair or not.
But at the end of the day, Carolla sees no problem with the punchline regardless of who wrote it or who delivered it. “If Donald Trump was at a roast on Thursday, you would do that joke,” he said. “Well, if he’d never been president, you would do that joke.”
The defense carries added weight given Carolla’s long and somewhat complicated history with Kimmel. The two rose to fame together as co-hosts of The Man Show in the early 2000s, building a comedic partnership that helped launch both of their careers. While their professional paths eventually went in separate directions, the two have remained publicly supportive of each other.
Carolla has made over 50 appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, proving that the pair's opposing political views aren't enough to ruin their friendship. Carolla has increasingly aligned himself with more conservative viewpoints in recent years, often expressing opinions that differ sharply from Kimmel’s more liberal-leaning commentary. And Carolla was among those coming to Kimmel's defense following his September 2025 suspension.
Carolla’s comments also reflect a broader trend coming out of the controversy. While political figures and some media voices have called for consequences against Kimmel, an increasing number of comedians and industry insiders have said the opposite. Conan O'Brien, George Clooney, and even Ted Cruz have all shared reactions that support Kimmel in one way or another.
It seems that the voices calling for Kimmel's jobs are those with something to gain by appeasing President Donald Trump. Whether that's members of his cabinet, social media influencers, or media personalities, the strategy seems to be follow the Trumps' lead and keep things political.
For Adam Carolla, things are a lot more simple. It’s a joke comedians have made for years and one that likely would’ve barely registered if not for everything that came after. Then again, comedy is all about timing.
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