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Melania Trump issued a strong statement on social media this Monday, labeling the host Jimmy Kimmel as a "coward" in response to a monologue in which the comedian referred to her as a "widow in waiting," less than 48 hours before the third assassination attempt against Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Last Thursday, Kimmel performed a parody of the traditional event on his show and directed a pointed remark at the wife of the President of the United States: "Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like that of a widow in waiting," he said.
The performance also included a joke about Melania's birthday—celebrated on April 26—saying she would spend it "looking out of a window and murmuring, 'What have I done?'".
This Monday, the First Lady responded on her X account, where she accused the comedian of using "hateful and violent" rhetoric aimed at dividing the nation.
"His monologue about my family is not comedy: his words are corrosive and exacerbate the political illness within America," he wrote.
According to Melania, people like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter homes every night "to sow hate," calling him a "coward" who "hides behind ABC" because the network protects him.
"Enough is enough. The time has come for ABC to take a stand. How many more times will ABC's leadership cover up Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?" he stressed.
Perhaps the comedian's monologue would have gone without repercussions, were it not for the dramatic events that took place on Saturday night.
His words took on a very different dimension when Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, burst into the lobby of the Washington Hilton armed with a shotgun, pistol, and knives, and fired between five and eight shots before being subdued by the Secret Service.
Trump, Melania, Vice President JD Vance, and other high-ranking officials were evacuated unharmed. It was Melania who raised the alarm at the presidential table and crawled off the stage, visibly terrified, in what was her first assassination attempt.
Trump praised her afterwards: "I’ve been through this a couple of times. She hasn’t, and for it to be the first time, she handled it great. I mean, she was very strong, very smart."
This is not the first time Kimmel has faced consequences for his comments. In September 2025, ABC temporarily suspended his show following his controversial remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The show returned weeks later amid protests and a letter of support signed by over 400 celebrities.
In November, Trump once again called for Kimmel's dismissal on social media, and the host responded sarcastically: "I'll leave when you leave. We'll be a team. Let's ride into the sunset together like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
The shooting on Saturday was the third assassination attempt against Trump in less than two years, following the incidents in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, and West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024.
The Correspondents' Dinner, interrupted with about 2,600 attendees in the hall, was rescheduled for 30 days later.
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