PoliticsMegyn Kelly Slams Jimmy Kimmel's 'Crass' and 'Inappropriate' Joke About Melania Trump Becoming a Widow Before Shooting: 'This Isn't Funny'
Megyn Kelly blasted Jimmy Kimmel over an 'offensive' Melania Trump joke made before the WHCD shooting.
April 28 2026, Updated 7:48 a.m. ET
Megyn Kelly is not holding back when it comes to Jimmy Kimmel’s latest comedy bit.
The conservative commentator called out the late-night host’s recent sketch, in which he referred to Melania Trump as an "expectant widow" just days before a shocking shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Megyn Kelly sharply criticized Jimmy Kimmel’s joke, calling it 'crass' and 'inappropriate.'
Speaking on her podcast, Kelly didn’t mince words, saying, “Jimmy Kimmel never misses a moment to be crass, off point and inappropriate. He decided to do a mock White House Correspondents' Dinner. I'm going to show you how unfunny the jokes were. These are so on the nose, 11-year-old humor… not clever, not surprising, not even a mild laugh.”
She doubled down, adding, “I don't even know where to begin… Nothing funny. Nothing remotely clever… the laugh track meant to boost his sagging audiences… even leftists don't find that funny.”
The strongest reaction comes over Kimmel’s remark about Donald Trump’s wife.
“What he said about Melania Trump now is making major news. For this guy to get up there and say she's ‘got the glow of an expectant widow,’ like how insensitive can you be? Trump has children, grandchildren, and the ‘glow of an expectant widow,’ how sick are you? You don't make jokes about assassinations of the president… It’s just sick,” Megyn blasted.
The backlash intensified after a real shooting occurred just days after the controversial remark.
She also pointed to the timing, suggesting the joke hit differently given what happened next.
“It's pretty explosive… I can only imagine the ‘oh s---’ moment… after saying ‘she has the glow of an expectant widow,’ and within 48 hours, someone tries to kill her husband. A normal person would have a complete meltdown. He's irresponsible. Deeply offensive,” the journalist continued.
Megyn wrapped things up by putting pressure on the network.
“B---- in your court, ABC… you're not gonna be able to ignore this… think about it… ABC fired Chris Harrison… but you can say this as Jimmy Kimmel… ‘she's got the glow of an expectant widow’… very ill-timed… what are you going to do about it, ABC?” she concluded.
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Megyn Kelly argued that joking about assassination crosses a serious line, especially involving a sitting president’s family.
The controversial sketch aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, April 23, and quickly sparked backlash. The first lady later described the joke as "hateful and violent," while the White House urged ABC to take action against the comedian.
Jimmy Kimmel's joke didn't age well.
During the segment, Jimmy said, "Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."
Just three days later, a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., where Donald and Melania were in attendance. Authorities said the attack may have targeted members of the Trump administration.
Jimmy, however, pushed back on the criticism and defended his intent.
The White House and Melania Trump also condemned the joke, calling it 'hateful and violent.'
"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," he said on the Monday, April 27, episode of his show. "I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject, I think a great place to start to dial that back is having a conversation with your husband about it."
