Jimmy Kimmel responds to Melania Trump and the president’s criticism
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel responded to Melania Trump’s criticism after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
If a joke falls in the forest, will it make a sound?
Apparently, the answer is a resounding yes. Jimmy Kimmel, the current king of late-night comedy controversy, is (again) at odds with President Donald Trump, who is calling for the ABC host’s firing.
It’s all due to the April 23 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” On ABC, the host staged a fake White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and cracked jokes about first lady Melania Trump. “Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of a pregnant widow,” Kimmel said, pretending to be in the room with officials in Washington, D.C., and acting as if he had seen the first lady in person.
Immediately after the joke, no one in the Trump administration commented on what Kimmel himself said was a joke about the first couple’s age difference (Trump is 79 and will turn 80 in June, while Melania Trump is 56).
But after violence erupted at the actual Correspondents’ Dinner on April 26, President Trump was deeply offended by Kimmel’s comments, with the first lady writing to X, “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Mr. Kimmel’s brutal acts at the expense of our community?”
For Kimmel, it was déjà vu all over again after the September incident. He then made a political joke about the Republican response to the shooting death of political activist Charlie Kirk, and was briefly taken off the air as senior Trump officials pressured ABC to fire him. After a one-week suspension, Kimmel returned as a vindicated man (with surprising ratings) and continued his show as usual, never retracting his jokes or criticism of the Trump administration.
Kimmel appears unfazed by the Trumps’ rhetoric, and ABC has not publicly commented on the matter (USA TODAY has reached out to the network). But in the wake of September’s Kimmel culture firestorm, the violence at a dinner party that had been the epicenter of political comedy, and the late-night departure of prominent Trump critic Stephen Colbert, the current state of American political comedy has come under the microscope.
With presidential criticism, late-night TV attrition, and a 2026 media cycle reaching a mile a minute, what place does political comedy have in modern society? And who will preserve it as time goes on?
Political comedy is a fundamental part of American society
This country has a deep and rich history of political comedy, satire and commentary, from old political cartoons published in historic newspapers to counterculture comedians arrested on stage at midcentury comedy clubs to Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live.”
In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, political cartoons and powerful political speeches were a major part of the efforts of the Founding Fathers and their allies. Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 cartoon “Join It or Die” is one of the most famous examples of political commentary through comedy in world history.
In the 1800s, Mark Twain was one of the most prominent voices criticizing America’s political and social norms and shortcomings, including in his sharp 1873 novel The Gilded Age, which included (less than flattering) caricatures of many politicians, businessmen, and leaders.
In the 20th century, comedy luminaries may be remembered more for their warm, charming jokes than for their biting satire, but people like Bob Hope and Johnny Carson had a lot to say about politics. Lenny Bruce, along with esteemed comedians such as George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Dick Gregory, laid the foundation for some of the most original and controversial jokes about American culture and the political system.
“Weekend Update” on “SNL,” Jay Leno and David Letterman’s Bill Clinton jokes, the Comedy Central heyday of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert poking fun at George W. Bush in the early 2000s, and yes, the current late-night lineup of Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Colbert, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, and others all stand on the shoulders of some of the greatest names in our history.
While the current lineup of comedians may seem harsher, more criticized, and more controversial than their predecessors simply because we live in a politically charged moment in history, they are deeply inheriting the American tradition of free speech.
Trump has never liked late-night comedians and probably never will.
Since Trump entered the political scene in 2016, it’s been clear that he doesn’t mind late-night comedians making fun of the presidency. And it’s abundantly clear that today’s late-night hosts are no stranger to ridiculing the president, as they spent hours cracking jokes about Trump and his allies.
Mr. Trump has feuded with Mr. Kimmel, Mr. Fallon, Mr. Meyers, Mr. Colbert, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Oliver in turn. And even though the entire genre is in jeopardy due to declining ratings and a changing media landscape, they still wear suits and deliver monologues night after night.
But their voices don’t stop there. Greg Gutfeld, who has a show on Fox News weekdays at 10pm ET (prime time slot, not late night), leans to the political right. And while more mainstream late-night comics are traditionally seen as left-leaning, they don’t hesitate to criticize Democrats or the left when they see an opportunity for humor or feel strongly about an issue.
CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert’s show and ABC appeared to bow to pressure from the Trump administration over Kimmel’s Kirk jokes last fall, but for now they seem like deviations.
It’s unlikely that Kimmel will actually be fired for his “widow” joke. On April 27, Kimmel, as usual, took to the stage after Trump’s remarks and defended himself in a nonchalant and calm manner. For him, it was just any other day at the office in 2026. Fallon, Meyers, Stewart and others appear unfazed by Trump’s attacks on their work. Networks are in no hurry to cancel shows. For now.
Political comedy survives, but evolves
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has long been a venue for political comedians to confront names dragged through the proverbial quagmire.
Most famously in 2006, Colbert delivered a shocking roast to President Bush’s face that has gained notoriety ever since. Meyers, Stewart and Kimmel have hosted events in the past without pulling punches, regardless of the president’s party.
But with President Trump, it appears that tradition may be ending for good.
The April 25 banquet was his first as president, likely due in part to the tradition of satirical hosts. (Canceled due to the security crisis, association president Jiang Weijia said this year’s dinner date would be rescheduled.) In 2025, the association signed comedian Amber Ruffin, but rescinded the invitation after criticism from the Trump administration. This year, it eschewed comedy altogether, instead hosting “The Mentalist” and magician Oz Perlman.
Before the Kimmel-Kirk controversy, late-night comedians’ Trump jokes weren’t often featured on CNN. We weren’t constantly talking about the future of comedy. The FCC chairman did not routinely comment on the actions of individual television hosts.
We’re clearly in a new era in comedy history that’s being defined by guys like Kimmel. In addition, there are also many new voices trying to understand the atmosphere of the country and the right way to leave their mark. The comedy industry may feel more unstable now than it has since the days when Bruce said, “The American Constitution wasn’t written to protect criminals. It was written to keep the government from becoming criminals,” and Carlin’s sitcom went all the way to the Supreme Court.
But if you look at our history, politicians come and go (comedians as well), but there’s always someone ready to make a joke about who gets elected next.
