"It was just a joke about President Trump being nearly 80 years old and Melania being younger than me. It was not a call for assassination", host Jimmy Kimmel, 58, explained on 27/4.

Host Jimmy Kimmel in Los Angeles in March 2024. Photo: Reuters

In a satirical segment aired on ABC on 23/4, referencing the upcoming White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Kimmel said First Lady Melania Trump "looked radiant like a woman waiting to be widowed".

Two days later, President Donald Trump and Melania were evacuated from a party at the Washington Hilton hotel after a shooting occurred. Suspect Cole Allen, 31, was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate Trump.

Kimmel expressed sympathy for Melania and the attendees who experienced the traumatic incident. However, he asserted that his earlier joke "had no influence on what occurred".

On 27/4, Melania expressed outrage and criticized Kimmel's statement, adding that individuals like Kimmel "should not have the opportunity to appear before families every night to spread hatred". President Trump also deemed Kimmel's joke "beyond the limit", calling on ABC and its parent company Disney to "immediately fire" the host.

Last year, Kimmel was suspended for one week for controversial comments related to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, an ally of President Trump.

Kimmel's show was subsequently pulled from 70 ABC affiliate stations, affecting nearly one-fourth of households in the United States. Brendan Carr, leader of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), described Kimmel's remarks as "unprecedented bad behavior". President Trump criticized ABC for allowing Kimmel to return afterwards.

By Ngoc Anh (Reuters, AP)