Melania Trump rips Jimmy Kimmel and urges ABC to ‘take a stand’

The first lady’s criticism of Kimmel comes seven months after ABC briefly suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” amid a firestorm over his comments about the political motivations of the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah.

“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said on his Sept. 15 show.

Investigators had not yet released details about the suspect’s possible motive at the time. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said the suspect grew up in a conservative household in Utah but later became influenced by what he characterized as “leftist ideology.”

The week after Kimmel’s suspension, the comedian returned to the airwaves and delivered an emotional opening monologue. “You understand it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said in part, referring to Kirk. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

In early December, Kimmel signed a one-year extension at ABC to continue hosting the network’s flagship late-night talk show, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The first lady has grown increasingly concerned about security measures in recent years, according to a source close to her. She can be seen asking specific questions about the inaugural parade route in the documentary “Melania.”

“Is it safe? Because if we go out, I think people will already know where we would go out,” the first lady says in the film. “So it’s kind of like, how could that be safe, especially with the last year, what’s going on and stuff?”

In remarks that aired on CBS’ “60 Minutes” Sunday, the president praised his wife’s composure during the weekend shooting.

“Well, my thought was, you know, I’ve been through this before a couple of times, and she has not, to this extent,” he said. “She handled it great. I mean, she was, she is very strong, smart. She got it. She knew what was happening.”

The first lady was not present when a gunman attempted to assassinate her husband at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The same was true when another gunman attempted to assassinate him later that year outside his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.