Melania Trump has criticized late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for a controversial joke about her, calling his comments “disgusting and violent” and urging his network ABC to take action.The response comes after Kimmel made a comment about the first lady during a monologue last week previewing the White House correspondents’ dinner. He said, “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of a pregnant widow.”A few days later, a shooting occurred at the same event in Washington DC, where a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint. Authorities believe that, except for Kash Patel, members of the Trump administration may have been the intended targets, according to the shooter’s 1,000-word manifesto. Donald Trump and Melania were evacuated safely.In a post on Twitter, Melania Trump condemned Kimmel’s comments and questioned why he was being given a platform.He wrote, “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is aimed at dividing our country. His monologue about my family is not comedy – his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America.”He added, “People like Kimmel should not have the opportunity to enter our homes every evening to spread hate.”He also criticized ABC for giving Kimmel a platform and said: “A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will continue to covertly work to protect him.”He added, “Enough is enough. It’s time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”The controversy has escalated since the shooting, with a clip of Kimmel’s joke resurfaced that is drawing backlash online. Social media users accused the comedian of contributing to a toxic political environment, with some calling for him to be removed from the broadcast.Kimmel has faced similar criticism in the past. He was briefly removed from the broadcast last September after comments related to the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, before returning a week later and acknowledging that his comments may have been “ill-timed or vague or maybe both.”Following Saturday’s incident, Donald Trump described the incident as “quite a traumatic experience” for his wife.The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen and has been taken into custody and is expected to appear in court. He was a teacher by profession.
