U.S. first lady Melania Trump said Monday it was time for ABC to “take a stand” on Jimmy Kimmel after a monologue the late-night talk show host delivered before a shooting near a gathering of journalists and politicians over the weekend.
“Enough is enough. It’s time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC executives enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior to the detriment of our community?” she said in a post on X.
Kimmel, in a parody of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner aired last week before the event, said: “Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of a future widow.”
President Donald Trump and the first lady were kicked out of dinner Saturday after a shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. A suspect identified as Cole Allen charged through a checkpoint and fired at Secret Service agents, wounding one, before being subdued and arrested.
Disney and ABC had no immediate comment.
In September, the head of the Federal Communications Commission pressured broadcasters to remove Kimmel from the airwaves. ABC briefly suspended Kimmel’s show that month over comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Hours before the suspension, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned that local broadcasters who carried Kimmel faced fines or loss of license and said “it was time for them to step up.” His comments drew backlash from the entertainment industry and politicians on both sides, including Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who likened his threats to those of an organized crime boss.
In September, Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group briefly pulled Kimmel’s show from their 70 ABC-affiliated stations, covering nearly a quarter of American households. Carr wants to make it easier for local broadcasters to pre-empt national programming.
