Washington, DC [US], April 28 (ANI): Television host Jimmy Kimmel has pushed back against criticism over his controversial 'expectant widow' joke about First Lady of the US, Melania Trump, refusing to apologise while addressing the backlash on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel responded to calls from Melania and Donald Trump to cancel his show, saying, 'You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning and the first lady puts out a statement demanding you be fired from your job? We've all been there, right?,' as per the outlet.

Kimmel explained that the remark was part of a mock monologue imagining himself hosting the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD), a tradition that has not featured a comedian in recent years during Trump's presidency. Reiterating the joke, he said it was 'a very light roast' referencing the couple's age difference.

'There was no big reaction to it until this morning, when I greeted the day facing yet another Twitter vomit storm and a call to fire me from our first lady,' Kimmel said. 'Obviously, it was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together. It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am. It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination. And they know that. I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence, in particular,' as per the outlet.

'But I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house,' he continued. 'And also, I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do, and I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it. Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants to say, as are you and as am I. Because under the First Amendment, we have, as Americans, a right to free speech.'

The controversy intensified after a shooting incident outside the WHCD venue over the weekend. While expressing regret over the traumatic experience, Kimmel rejected any link between his joke and the incident. 'I am sorry that [Melania] and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that -- that I really am,' he said. 'Just because no one got killed doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic and scary, and we should come together. We really should. But if you want us to believe that a joke I made three days before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well then, maybe someone should look into this psychic lady too.'

He also took a swipe at the administration by referencing remarks from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump criticised Kimmel on social media, calling his remarks 'shocking' and urging ABC and Disney to fire him. Melania Trump also issued a strong statement, accusing Kimmel of spreading 'hateful and violent rhetoric' and demanding action from the network.

Trump wrote on Truth Social, 'Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking,' wrote Trump. 'I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel's despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,' according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The episode marks the second such controversy involving Kimmel in recent months, following backlash over remarks linked to the killing of Charlie Kirk, which briefly led to his show's suspension.

The feud between Trump and Kimmel dates back to 2016, with the former president repeatedly targeting late-night hosts. Trump had also recently celebrated the impending end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, hosted by Stephen Colbert.

Meanwhile, the WHCD shooting marked the third time Trump's security perimeter has been breached by a man with a gun who intended to cause the president harm during his second term. The first was in July 2024, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump with a rifle, grazing the president's ear. The second was in September 2024, when Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted with a rifle at a golf tournament while Trump was playing, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI)