{"id":129673,"date":"2026-04-28T12:08:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:08:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:08:55","slug":"critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673","title":{"rendered":"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel’s defense of his ‘expectant widow’ joke, key White House figure calls for firing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Not everyone is buying ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s\u00a0claim that his controversial “expectant widow” joke about President Donald Trump<\/a> and first lady Melania Trump was simply about his age.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kimmel’s joke from Thursday went viral on social media in the wake of Saturday’s attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner,\u00a0prompting both President Donald Trump and first lady\u00a0Melania Trump<\/a>\u00a0to issue statements calling for his firing from the Disney-owned network.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But instead of apologizing or backing down, Kimmel remained defiant Monday night, insisting his jab suggesting the first lady will be happy when her husband dies “was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination,” Kimmel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

JIMMY KIMMEL REMAINS DEFIANT, INSISTS ‘EXPECTANT WIDOW’ JAB AGAINST TRUMPS WAS ABOUT AGE DIFFERENCE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Fox News contributor Joe Concha declared, “Outside of those with chronic TDS, there isn\u2019t a soul on the planet who believes this was the intent of Kimmel\u2019s \u2018joke.\u2019”<\/p>\n

White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung said that Kimmel is a “sh-t human” for doubling down.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“ABC needs to fire him immediately and he should be shunned for the rest of his life,” Cheung wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“He knows that the things that he says are incendiary, and they tend to activate people like the alleged shooter\u2026 the joke wasn\u2019t funny on Thursday night, and he felt it necessary to repeat it,” Fox News\u2019 Kennedy said Tuesday on “America\u2019s Newsroom.”<\/p>\n

“If I were ABC, I would look at this and wonder why we\u2019re spending so much money on someone who is so divisive and so unfunny,” she continued. “And I think that\u2019s the bottom line.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The White House<\/a> Rapid Response 47 account called Kimmel “pathetic.”<\/p>\n

“We all know what you meant,” Rapid Response 47 added<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MELANIA TRUMP CALLS FOR ABC TO FIRE JIMMY KIMMEL OVER \u2018HATEFUL AND VIOLENT RHETORIC\u2019<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck posted on X:<\/a> “You see, the rules are THEY are allowed to \u2018joke\u2019 about our side dying.”<\/p>\n

“Regardless of his intent, he was joking about the President dying and Melania being happy about it, which does not belong on taxpayer-funded airwaves,” podcaster Benny Johnson reacted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While many have mocked Kimmel\u2019s explanation, CBS\u2019 Gayle King and liberal actor George Clooney<\/a> have defended him. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Others reacted to Kimmel\u2019s explanation on social media:<\/p>\n

DISNEY UNDER FIRE AS ABC GRAPPLES WITH ANOTHER JIMMY KIMMEL CONTROVERSY<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cole Tomas Allen<\/a> of Torrance, California, the 31-year-old accused of targeting top Trump administration officials, is facing three counts, including attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, transporting a firearm across state lines and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Top DOJ officials said Monday that additional charges are expected, and he faces life imprisonment.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular, but I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house,” Kimmel quipped on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, Kimmel was briefly suspended by Disney<\/u><\/a> after controversial remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage, and ABC said the show would be preempted indefinitely. He returned to the air days later and insisted he never intended to make light of Kirk\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

In December, ABC extended his contract<\/u><\/a> until at least May 2027.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Fox News Digital reached out to ABC to request comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-expectant-widow-joke-white-house-call-firing <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not everyone is buying ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s\u00a0claim that his controversial “expectant widow” joke about President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-129673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCritics reject Jimmy Kimmel's defense of his 'expectant widow' joke, key White House figure calls for firing - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel's defense of his 'expectant widow' joke, key White House figure calls for firing - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Not everyone is buying ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s\u00a0claim that his controversial “expectant widow” joke about President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump was […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-28T16:08:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel’s defense of his ‘expectant widow’ joke, key White House figure calls for firing\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T16:08:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673\"},\"wordCount\":611,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673\",\"name\":\"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel's defense of his 'expectant widow' joke, key White House figure calls for firing - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T16:08:55+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel’s defense of his ‘expectant widow’ joke, key White House figure calls for firing\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel's defense of his 'expectant widow' joke, key White House figure calls for firing - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel's defense of his 'expectant widow' joke, key White House figure calls for firing - Wall Street PR","og_description":"Not everyone is buying ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s\u00a0claim that his controversial “expectant widow” joke about President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump was […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-28T16:08:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel’s defense of his ‘expectant widow’ joke, key White House figure calls for firing","datePublished":"2026-04-28T16:08:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673"},"wordCount":611,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673","name":"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel's defense of his 'expectant widow' joke, key White House figure calls for firing - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-28T16:08:55+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/critics-reject-jimmy-kimmels-defense-of-his-expectant-widow-joke-key-white-house-figure-calls-for-firing-129673#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Critics reject Jimmy Kimmel’s defense of his ‘expectant widow’ joke, key White House figure calls for firing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129673\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129673"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=129673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}