Conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly has joined the chorus of Republicans demanding ABC remove Jimmy Kimmel from the airwaves, following a joke the late-night host made about first lady Melania Trump that aired just days before a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
During a Monday appearance on NewsNation, O'Reilly argued that Kimmel's comment crossed a line and that the network should take action. "He shouldn't be on the air, of course," O'Reilly said. "He's not a comedian. He's not a satirist. He's there to hate President Trump."
The controversy began when a taped episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" last week featured a quip about the first lady being an "expectant widow." The comment aired two days before a man fired a gun near the Washington Hilton, just steps from the entrance to the ballroom where the dinner was taking place. President Trump, Melania Trump, and senior administration officials were safely evacuated. The suspect, Cole Allen, was quickly subdued and later charged with attempted assassination of the president and multiple firearms offenses.
In the aftermath of the incident, Melania Trump issued a statement condemning the joke, saying it was not comedy but rather "hateful and violent rhetoric intended to divide our country." She added, "His monologue about my family isn't comedy—his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America." The first lady also said, "People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate."
Kimmel responded during his Monday monologue, clarifying that the joke was meant as a "very light roast" about the age gap between the 56-year-old first lady and the 79-year-old president. "It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination, and they know that," Kimmel said. He also noted that he has been vocal in speaking out against gun violence.
O'Reilly's call for Kimmel's firing echoes demands from Trump and other Republicans, who have urged ABC's parent company, Disney, to cancel the show. "We, the people, can't haul him off the air, but there's no reason for Jimmy Kimmel to be on there," O'Reilly said. "What's the reason? I don't understand. It's not entertainment." He added, "All he's trying to do is damage the president of the United States and the office of the presidency."
This is not the first time Trump has called for Kimmel to be taken off the air due to his frequent criticism of the administration. In a previous incident, ABC temporarily pulled Kimmel's show after he made a joke following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
O'Reilly also urged affiliated stations to "dump" Kimmel, accusing Disney of trafficking in hate. "I'm about as liberal a man when it comes to freedom of speech, satire, understand it all, I want it to be here, but this is hate," he said. "That's what this is, and Disney is trafficking in hate."
For more on this developing story, see Trump's demand that ABC fire Kimmel and Kimmel's defense of the joke as age-based. Other reactions include Clooney backing Kimmel and a free speech group supporting the host.
