The Trump White House is escalating its attacks on late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggesting that his comedy may have contributed to the mindset of a gunman who targeted the White House Correspondents Dinner. As Monday goes on, it's becoming clear that ABC will have to make a difficult decision about Kimmel.
The criticism follows a shocking weekend incident in which an armed attacker reportedly sought to assassinate Donald Trump and members of his cabinet during the annual event. In the aftermath, administration officials and allies have increasingly pointed to rhetoric from media figures and oppositing politicians they say encourages political violence.
For some, Jimmy Kimmel is just as much to blame. It stems from jokes made earlier in the week, in which the comedian said Melania Trump had the glow of “an expectant widow” during a mock WHCD bit on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The punchline quickly drew backlash from conservative commentators and social media influencers who argued that it crossed a line and was grounds for ABC to fire Kimmel.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Leavitt sharply condemned the late-night host’s joke. “Having experienced what I did with the first lady on Saturday night, I can tell you that she was anything but that,” Leavitt said. “This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady and his supporters, is completely deranged, and it’s unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night.”
Leavitt went further, claiming that elements of the suspect’s writings echoed language commonly heard in the media. “Much of the manifesto would-be assassin is indistinguishable from the words that we hear daily from so many people,” she added.
Leavitt's remarks came just hours after First Lady Melania Trump issued her own statement calling on ABC to take action against Kimmel. In that statement, Melania Trump urged the network to “take a stand” against what she described as unacceptable rhetoric from its late-night star.
The mounting criticism reflects a coordinated pressure campaign that has quickly intensified. What began as outrage from online influencers has now been turned into a talking point for the Trump administration. All told, it's placing increased scrutiny on ABC and its handling of Kimmel’s show.
While the network has yet to respond publicly, the increasingly prominent political figures getting involved could make it impossible for executives to ignore the controversy. The question then becomes will ABC back its star or cave in to political pressure?
Kimmel has been quiet on social media throughout the day while coming under fire for his jokes. It could be that the network has asked him not to respond just yet. Hopefully, the real reason is that the late-night host is saving it all for Monday night's episode.
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