President Donald Trump on Monday called for ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, arguing the comedian’s past on-air remarks amounted to rhetoric that encourages political violence against him.
Trump said Kimmel should be “fired immediately,” according to The Hill, framing the dispute as part of a broader concern about media figures normalizing hostility toward political leaders in the wake of a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The president’s criticism drew on a resurfaced Kimmel joke about first lady Melania Trump, which Trump and allies have pointed to as emblematic of what they describe as increasingly dangerous political rhetoric.
Melania Trump had earlier urged ABC to “take a stand” against Kimmel, calling his rhetoric harmful and divisive, as reported by Variety.
The clash builds on years of tension between Trump and Kimmel, who has frequently mocked the president on his ABC program “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” while Trump has repeatedly blasted the host on social media and in public remarks.
Those tensions escalated recently when Kimmel faced backlash over comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, with Mediaite reporting the remarks led to a brief suspension and advertiser pressure on ABC.
The latest controversy comes just days after gunfire erupted at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, held at the Washington Hilton in Washington, where Trump, the first lady and senior officials were in attendance.
According to reporting from The Guardian and The Washington Post, an armed suspect opened fire near a security checkpoint, wounding a Secret Service agent before being subdued.
Authorities said the agent’s protective gear prevented more serious injury and no fatalities were reported, according to those outlets.
Trump, Melania Trump and other top officials were moved to secure locations as the situation unfolded, and the event was ultimately cut short, multiple outlets including The Hill reported.
In the days since, Trump and allies have pointed to the incident as evidence of escalating political rhetoric, with the president directly linking that argument to his criticism of Kimmel.
ABC has not announced any disciplinary action against the late-night host.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.