After days of sharp jabs aimed at the first couple, Jimmy Kimmel struck a slightly softer tone on Wednesday night. The late-night host joked that he may actually be helping the relationship between Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
During his monologue, Kimmel referenced recent public appearances by the Trumps as they welcomed King Charles to the United States. The comedian suggested the pair have “lately seemed closer than ever.” Kimmel then added “and I like to think I played a part in that.”
President Trump and the First Lady were indeed in lockstep together to start the week. Both made public demands for Disney to fire Kimmel in response to his mock White House Correspondents' Dinner bit from last week. A joke referring to Melania Trump as "an expectant widow" became a source of outrage as the White House called for ABC to take Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air.
The show then cut to footage zooming in on the couple’s hands as they attempted to hold onto each other. But in a move we've seen before, the interaction quickly turned awkward. Kimmel pointed out how the two briefly released their grip, glanced around, and then managed to rejoin hands.
“Considering the week I’ve had with the first couple, I’m just going to say that is a completely normal way to interact for two people who are very much in love,” Kimmel quipped.
He didn’t stop there. Continuing the bit, Kimmel joked that the unusual hand-holding might explain another recurring mystery surrounding President Trump's appearance. “Maybe that’s why his hands are all bruised,” Kimmel said, “from Melania swatting them away.”
Melania Trump has largely avoided the attention of late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel. Her husband keeps them busy enough. So when the First Lady loudly proclaimed that Kimmel should lose her job, she became a new focal point for the comedian.
Of course, President Trump's wife has flown completely under the radar during his two terms in office. Back in 2018, Kimmel joked that Melania looked as happy as ever when she took an official trip abroad with the president. Then there was a Love Actually parody that also mocked the couple's relationship.
More recently, Kimmel piled on with the rest of late-night television when Melania's documentary flopped. So by no means was the mock WHCD the first time Kimmel made the First Lady and her marriage a punchline. It's just that this particular joke seems to have far greater consequences than just a laugh.
The Trumps may think that calling for Kimmel's job or having the FCC pressure Disney may get the late-night host to back off. But Wednesday night proved that Jimmy Kimmel Live! isn't letting off the gas anytime soon.
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