World
Trump demands immediate sacking of TV host Jimmy Kimmel over ‘despicable’ joke
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC, joining his wife Melania Trump in calling out the late-night talk show host for a monologue he delivered before a shooting near a gathering of journalists and politicians over the weekend.
Kimmel, in a parody of the White House Correspondents Dinner that was broadcast last week before the actual event, said: “Mrs Trump you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
“Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community,” Melania Trump wrote in a post on social media earlier on Monday.
The president and the first lady were rushed out of the dinner on 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 he was subdued and arrested.
Disney and ABC did not immediately comment. In September, the head of the Federal Communications Commission pressured broadcasters to take Kimmel off the air. 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 head Brendan Carr warned that local broadcasters who broadcast Kimmel could face fines or loss of licenses and said “it’s time for them to step up”.
