The situation could not be more untimely. A week ago, American comedian and host Jimmy Kimmel performed, during one of the episodes of his late show, a monologue in which he played the host of the then future White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
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Kimmel, full of his usual acidic humor, made a joke that has gone viral on social media for having become a macabre omen. “Our first lady, Melania Trump, is here tonight,” the comedian began, playing the role of master of ceremonies and introducing the attendees. “Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of an impatient widow,” Kimmel stated while the show broadcast images of the first lady, simulating that she was paying attention.
The comedian could not have expected then that, at the real event, held a week later, an assassination attempt would occur against the President of the United States and other high-ranking government officials, after a shooter tried to access the room this Saturday where Donald Trump and his inner circle were dining with journalists at the Hilton hotel in Washington.
After the incident, the host’s performance lost all humor and ignited social media, with comments about the limits of comedy and how a simple dark joke came close to becoming reality.
Tensions between Kimmel’s show and the Trump Administration began after Charlie Kirk’s death
“Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about President Trump’s assassination; hours later, an attempt on his life occurred,” MAGA columnist Benny Johnson communicated via X. “The federal government should revoke his broadcast license immediately. Our taxes should not fund left-wing radicalization,” the statement affirmed, criticizing the ABC television network, where Kimmel’s late show is broadcast.
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“It is rhetoric as disgusting as this that caused the incident,” other voices on the internet assured. The subject of the joke, Melania Trump, has also spoken out against Kimmel, asserting that his monologue was not comedy, but an incentive for “the political disease that prevails in the United States.”
“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will continue to protect him. Enough is enough! It’s time for ABC to take a stand,” the first lady stated this Monday, days after the assassination attempt against her husband.
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Kimmel was already linked to political violence by the MAGA movement after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, when he dedicated one of his monologues to criticize the Republican Party and accuse it of having tried to gain political advantage from the activist’s death.
In response, ABC announced days later the “indefinite” cancellation of the show after pressure from the right and the Trump administration, but the network resumed broadcasting the program thanks to public support. As a result, the Republican president harshly criticized the decision and threatened to initiate an investigation against American television.
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