NEWSGayle King Fires Back at Donald and Melania Trump's Push to Boot Jimmy Kimmel Off Air
Gayle King had Jimmy Kimmel's defense amid calls from Melania and Donald Trump to pull the late-night host off the air.
April 28 2026, Updated 5:14 p.m. ET
Gayle King has weighed in as Donald Trump and Melania Trump urged ABC to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air.
"Jimmy Kimmel is not some crazy person who would wish the president to be killed," the journalist, 71, told Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes as she fired back at the first couple during the Tuesday, April 28, broadcast of CBS Mornings. "That's... he just would not do that."
Gayle King Defended Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel hosted an 'alternative' White House Correspondents' Dinner during his late-night show.
The late-night host, 58, found himself in hot water after he spoofed hosting an "alternative" White House Correspondents' Dinner during the April 23 episode of his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
He joked that Melania, 56, had the "glow of an expectant widow," only for the real event to be evacuated just two days later after a gunman scare.
During the CBS Morning segment, Gayle thanked the White House correspondent for "putting it in context" that Jimmy's comments were made before the April 25th shooting.
Melania Trump Called for Jimmy Kimmel to Be Fired
Melania Trump claimed that Jimmy Kimmel's 'hateful and violent rhetoric' is 'dividing the country.'
Gayle came to Jimmy's defense just one day after the FLOTUS sent a scathing message directed at ABC, calling for the network to pull him off the air.
"Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," she wrote via X on April 27. "People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate."
Melania Trump called out Jimmy Kimmel in a scathing message on April 27.
- 'Coward': Melania Trump Rips ABC for 'Enabling' 'Hateful' Jimmy Kimmel to 'Divide Our Country' in Scathing Message
- Lara Trump Slams Jimmy Kimmel's 'Hateful' and 'Violent' Melania Widow Joke: The Comedian Has 'Fallen Off the Deep End'
- George Clooney Defends Jimmy Kimmel After Widow Joke: 'The Rhetoric Is a Little Too Heated'
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Jimmy Kimmel Is Unapologetic About Getting Political
Jimmy Kimmel said it would be 'embarrassing' if he didn't get political on his show.
She continued, "A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is 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."
Though Jimmy's show has been briefly pulled off air in the past due to controversial comments he's made onscreen, he remains unapologetic about getting political.
"I think it would be embarrassing if we didn’t talk about this stuff. It would be shameful," he told Michelle Obama earlier this month on her "IMO" podcast. "My job, like I've always said, is to talk about what is going on in people's lives and what is going on in your country."
Jimmy Kimmel Confessed to 'Losing Control of His Emotions' at Times
Jimmy Kimmel blasted critics who told him to stick to comedy.
The media personality confessed to "losing control of his emotions" at times, but felt a responsibility to tackle serious issues and not just make people laugh.
"I love when the audience laughs. There's nothing that's more exciting to me than that, but well rounded human beings don't behave that way," he explained. "And to say, 'Well your job is this,' I bristle at that. Because first of all, don't tell me what my job is."
He continued, "I don't tell you what your job is. My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer allows me to do."
