Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has been excused for a joke he made about Melania Trump, just days after a gunman opened fire during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington.
The first lady described the sketch broadcast last Thursday as "filled with hate and violence," while the White House called on the ABC television network to fire the comedian.
Three days later, a gunman opened fire at a Washington correspondents' dinner, which President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were attending. Authorities said the attack may have targeted members of the Trump administration.
In the joke that caused controversy, Kimmel said during his show: "The first lady, Melania, is here. Look how beautiful she is. Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of a widow in waiting."
In his first monologue on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after the incident, the comedian said it was a light joke related to the 23-year age difference between the president and his wife.
"It was in no way a call for assassination and they know that. I have been very vocal against gun violence for years," he said.
Melania Trump reacted on Monday on the X platform, writing that "people like Kimmel should not be able to enter our homes every night to spread hatred."
Donald Trump also reacted on the Truth Social network, saying that Kimmel's comments were "a call for violence" and that the comedian should be immediately fired from ABC and Disney.
The president and first lady were evacuated unharmed from a dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel after a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the event.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was neutralized by agents near a staircase leading to the hall where the dinner was being held with hundreds of journalists, officials and public figures.
Allen appeared in court on Monday, where he was charged with attempted assassination of the president and several weapons-related offenses. He entered a plea of not guilty.
