White House ramps up pressure on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over first lady remark

U.S. newsWhite House ramps up pressure on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over first lady remarkSteven Cheung, the president's communications director, assailed the late-night host for not apologizing for referring to the first lady as an "expectant widow."Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00 body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__container, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__media-holder, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) #content { z-index: auto; } Add NBC News to GoogleKimmel says Trump joke was 'obviously' about age gap after calls for his firing01:28Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 28, 2026, 10:55 AM EDT / Updated April 28, 2026, 1:54 PM EDTBy Daniel ArkinThe White House on Tuesday intensified pressure on ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a comment he made about first lady Melania Trump last week, with a top aide saying the comedian "should be shunned for the rest of his life."Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.In a post on X, White House communications director Steven Cheung used an expletive to describe Kimmel and blasted him for making a "disgusting joke" and "doubling down on that joke instead of doing the decent thing by apologizing.""ABC needs to fire him immediately," Cheung said in part, echoing a demand made by President Donald Trump.The president and the first lady have sharply criticized Kimmel for referring to her as an "expectant widow" on last Thursday's episode. Two days later, a gunman opened fire outside the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington.The Trumps and top administration officials were rushed out of the Washington Hilton ballroom. The suspect faces three charges, including attempting to assassinate the president of the United States.Kimmel addressed the backlash at the top of his show Monday, framing his "widow" comment as a joke about the 23-year age difference between the Trumps...