Will Jimmy Kimmel be fired after controversial Melania Trump ‘widow’ joke, what's his salary, who is his wife?
Jimmy Kimmel made the ‘widow’ joke days before a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Days before a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Jimmy Kimmel made a ‘widow’ joke about Melania Trump. The late night host said: "Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
After the ‘widow’ joke, Melania Trump took to X and wrote: “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.
“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.
“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.”
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump wrote: “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. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be.
“He then stated, “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow." A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives.
“He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Following Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks, the National Religious Broadcasters association has filed a complaint with the FCC. NRB President & CEO Troy A. Miller said: “We should be relieved that lives were spared Saturday evening; but relief can’t become complacency. We’re seeing a pattern of violence in this country that didn’t appear overnight.
“When influential voices joke about death or treat political opponents as disposable, it contributes to a culture where violence feels thinkable to the already unstable. National platforms carry real weight, and with that comes responsibility. That’s why this warranted action.”
In September 2025, Forbes reported that Jimmy Kimmel’s salary was $16 million. He is believed to be worth around $50 million. Jimmy Kimmel is married to Molly McNearney, she is a co-head writer and executive producer of his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney married in 2013 and have two children, daughter Jane and son William "Billy" John. Jimmy Kimmel has two children from his first marriage, Katie and Kevin.