Jimmy Kimmel delivers bruising comeback to Trump’s ratings jibe

EntertainmentPolitics
1 May 2026 • 9:37 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Jimmy Kimmel delivers bruising comeback to Trump’s ratings jibe

  • Donald Trump is publicly pressuring ABC to dismiss late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, following Kimmel's recent "widow" joke about Melania Trump.
  • Donald Trump criticised Kimmel on Truth Social, labelling him "unfunny" and his show "one of the lowest-rated," demanding ABC take action.
  • Kimmel responded during his show, quipping that if low ratings were grounds for dismissal, both he and Donald Trump should be "out of a job," referencing Donald Trump's slipping approval ratings.
  • The controversy escalated after Melania Trump and the National Religious Broadcasters Association condemned Kimmel's joke as "hateful and violent rhetoric," with the NRB filing a complaint with the FCC, which subsequently requested ABC renew its broadcast licenses early.
  • Melania Trump publicly called Kimmel a "coward" on X, accusing him of spreading hate and urging ABC to stop enabling his "atrocious behaviour," while Kimmel defended his joke as a light-hearted roast, not an incitement to violence.

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