April 28, 2026
Jimmy Kimmel Defends His “Expectant Widow” Joke After President And First Lady Ask ABC To Fire Him
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RSS Feed Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel maintained he was making an “age gap” joke about Melania Trump looking like an “expectant widow.” Kimmel’s joke was days before a third attempt was made on President Trump’s life at the WHCD and while some have said it was distasteful, others maintain it was dangerous, even suggesting it could encourage violence against the President. ABC has remained silent around the controversy.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, folks, it is Tuesday, April twenty eighth, and Jimmy Kimmel still has a job, and he's still cracking jokes at the expense of the President and First Lady after they both called for him to be fired yesterday. With that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes thought this might have been on the table for ABC to have to say something or do something. They said nothing, They did nothing, and the show went on.
00:00:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I actually am surprised.
00:00:31
Speaker 3: And Jimmy Kimmel has definitely gone on to defend himself quite vehemently for the joke, stands by his joke, and yeah, crickets from ABC, crickets from Disney unexpected. And I think I guess we were saying yesterday, either they had to do something fairly dramatic as in firing him, or they would do nothing at all, or and by that support him.
00:00:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, and they supported him with their silence, which they just let him go on and speak for himself. So this all got started. It really. Look, we're used to the President saying every week or so that he wants some late night host fired. He goes off on television personalities all the time. So if the headline was the President calls for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired, we probably would not have done an episode about it yesterday. But Rose, it did take it to another level when the First Lady spoke up.
00:01:23
Speaker 3: Yes, the First Lady doesn't use her voice very often, so when she does, we listen, and she did not mince words about how she felt about Jimmy Kimmel's joke that he told on Thursday evening before the White House Correspondence sinner on Saturday night. Now, of course we all know what happened. There was a third attempt made on the President's life by a gunman who was trying to get into that ballroom. But the joke was told two days beforehand. However, look, if it were told at any point, I think you and I both agreed it was in terrible taste. I don't think it's funny to ever joke about someone dying or someone looking forward to her husband's death, especially when you're talking about our president. And sure you can point to some of what the President has put out there in terms of his cheering on other people's deaths or saying other things that are very very low and horrible to even hear from our president. It doesn't mean that we still expect that from others. It doesn't mean that you can say, well, you did it, so I can do it. But it kind of seems like that's what's happening.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: Yes, we've all our national discourse could take place on an elementary school playground. Is how we talk about each other these days. So did you think the joke was funny? Take a listen to the original that started all the hub up.
00:02:45
Speaker 4: Our first Lady Milania is here. Look at more so beautiful missus Trump. You have a glow like an expectant widow.
00:02:53
Speaker 1: Okay, it is what it is. It was a joke. He was doing a mock roast and he was roasting the president and first Lady in mocking fashion and made this joke. Go. Okay, fine, comedians do this. I'm not taking them to tax for the joke. If you could look at it in a damn bubble robes without everything that's taking place around just given the history between these two, between these two men, given the history and the assassination attempts given Charlie Kirk, just to make a joke suggesting that this woman would be in some way looking forward to the death of her husband. This isn't about violence, nob, I'm not suggesting he was. This is not some call to violence, So that's I wouldn't suggest that, but just robes just in poor taste, given all that's happened to suggest she'd be happy or looking forward to her husband's death. It's not even something I would have suggested he touched. Yeah.
00:03:49
Speaker 3: And frankly, look, I know that it's We all have First Amendment rights, comedians, all of us, the president himself, anyone in this country is free to say what they'd like. It doesn't mean that a company would necessarily stand by your remarks or that you'll necessarily get to keep your job if you continue to speak the way you do. Clearly it's not criminal, but the question is is it appropriate? And look, I know that that is what comedians do. They push the envelope, they offend, that's part of their humor. Understandable. I just personally don't think it's funny at all. And I understood why Malania Trump was extremely upset about this particular joke, given the fact that there had at that point already been two attempts on her husband's life and certainly just with Charlie Kirk and Erica Kirk being so.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: Such a big part.
00:04:39
Speaker 3: Of and she was at the White House correspondence dinner as well too, but just having a widow very publicly and very recently being the face of someone grieving the loss of her husband who was taken out by an assassin, and the fact that Jimmy Kimmel was a part of that, Like that was why he got suspended in the the first place, making comments shortly after Charlie Kirk's assassination. It just it was shocking that he would even enter into that territory again, and yet he did, and so it's not surprising the President wanted him fired, but it was it was something to pay attention to that Malania Trump spoke up, spoke loudly, and spoke sharply and understandably.
00:05:25
Speaker 1: This was a woman who went through a pretty traumatic experience on Saturday night, and Robes the last thing she wanted. I don't know if she came to her attention last week when it happened or not, And maybe this was the first time she heard about it was on Monday morning or who knows, but Robes even if she had heard about it last week when it aired, and then decided to get upset after Saturday. I still even understand that robes what this family has gone through. Her husband got shot by the way in the ear, Okay, I mean, just given that, you can say what you want, but there are human beings at the same time, and this is not something I would suggest she's in the mood to be laughing about. So we were waiting for ABC to say something. Yesterday we did an episode about it, and both of us expected one thing or the other. They had to go full on support or they had to fire him. There was no middle ground. He couldn't be suspended again.
00:06:23
Speaker 3: No, that's just that was a debacle because what they did when they suspended him is they just pissed everybody off. They upset the right because they didn't go so far as to fire him, and they set the left because they suspended him and silenced him. And so there were petitions to bring him back on the air. There were protests and rallies in support of Kimmel. So basically when they suspended him, they just they pissed everybody off. So they either had to fire him or support him.
00:06:51
Speaker 1: And the thing and you put it that way yesterday, and I said, okay, yeah, that's what it's going to come down to. But then a light bulb all for us, because of our experience in networks, there is a whole unit s and p standards and practices. That Kimmel joke last week was approved by the network. They see all of this stuff and they flag things or a problem, They flag things that might be a legal problem. And sweetheart, that joke. That's when we said, oh, wait a second, they're Proba'm not going to say anything because then they'd have to take responsibility for the joke themselves, as this wasn't just him going rogue. They knew about it, so yeah, rogue. They must have made a determination ahead of times that it wasn't that big of a deal.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: And they're hoping it blows over.
00:07:39
Speaker 3: Now. You mentioned yesterday, for most of the day Kimmel was the leading trend on X.
00:07:44
Speaker 2: And boycott ABC was right there behind it as well.
00:07:48
Speaker 3: And so look, we also know this about network executives is they take their time to see where public sentiment lies, and they oftentimes make their decision not necessarily what right or wrong or what's best for their talent, who they have certainly made the biggest star of ABC News. It's less about that and more about where public opinion lies, and so sometimes they just wait and see.
00:08:13
Speaker 1: So they certainly waited yesterday. Let Kimmeo go on and do his thing. He did go back up there last night and robed. He didn't have a response, and he started right off the top. But he has had some pretty funny stuff. Actually, he was a little funny at the top, and he was cute, and it was light hearted, and he was poking fun a little bit. But he joked about, yeah, I woke up this morning and the First Lady had called for my firing. You know, I'm sure that's happened to you guys too. He just started off and being lighthearted. But this was the gist of his response to the President and the first Lady calling for him to be fired.
00:08:48
Speaker 4: I'll call to fire me from our first Lady, Milania Trump, saying I should be fired because of a joke I made again five nights ago. It was a pretend roast. I said, our first lady Milani is here. Look at her so beautiful, missus Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow, which obviously was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together. It was a very light, roast joke about the fact that he's almost eighty and she's younger than I am. 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. But I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house. And also I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do, and I think a great place start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it, because.
00:09:51
Speaker 1: Okay, some of that was funny, some of that was poignant, and I get it, and that's been the line of defense for a lot of feat. You just criticize me, but look in your own house, and that's understandable, and a lot of people will say so. But if we keep doing that robes, then nobody ever changes their rhetoric, because all I can do is to defend what I'm saying is is that you said something worse.
00:10:14
Speaker 3: Yes, because we keep hearing now like everyone initially was a gas when President Trump would call people losers.
00:10:21
Speaker 2: And things like that.
00:10:23
Speaker 3: Now we're hearing everybody say that, and now there are expletives and curse words being thrown out in politics on cable where I actually cannot believe what I'm hearing. F bomb's flying, anger just being like just almost proudly displayed, and it's all about look what you're doing, clean up your house, and just if we're always just justifying our bad behavior by pointing to the other side and saying.
00:10:51
Speaker 2: Look what you did, look what you said.
00:10:54
Speaker 3: We're never going to get anywhere, and it just from the outside looking in, we all look like a bunch of kindergarteners. And I know Jimmy Kimmel was very eloquent in how he said what he said, but I actually just take issue that it was not a very light roast joke. I don't think that that's a fair way to categorize what he said.
00:11:12
Speaker 2: I think that minimizes what he said.
00:11:14
Speaker 3: And Okay, I can give him his age gap joke, but I think he knows exactly that it could have been taken in another way, given the context of President Trump's assassination attempts. I just look, he knew that it could be taken a whole host of ways, and he chose to say it, and he yes, and he was just laughing at basically the fact that she would be happy to be set free by his death.
00:11:42
Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, was at the point, was at the points for them to push the envelope a little bit, get just close enough to the line to where they could still defend themselves and get everybody talking again. Maybe and maybe that's and.
00:11:54
Speaker 3: That what comedians do oftentimes too. Controversy is usually good for comedians until it isn't. But there's a fine line.
00:12:01
Speaker 1: I cannot believe our our rhetoric is getting worse after Saturday Night. Like we thought it might take a week before we get back to normal, but this is even ramped up even more. Which odd people are going after each other Kimmel versus Milania, Hakeem Jeffreys versus Carolyn Levitt like that kind of what in God's name are we doing now? And so I understand the joke and Jimmy, I nobody's calling him to be fired. It certainly didn't, I said, nobody on this podcast, I mean, and and ro we understand just in the context of it all, I wish you not. He has a huge platform and voice, and people listen to this guy and Robes. It does make a difference when you hear the President using certain words, and when you hear somebody like this making a joke about the president's death. It does give us all a signal about the type of conversations we can and should have in public. This is all, okay, I know, y'all, it's just a joke. I know he's not calling for violence against the president, but in our national discourse, a joke like that, or the President saying what he says and calling everybody cowards and name calling babe. It's just we're seeing the results now of years of making this stuff normal.
00:13:30
Speaker 3: It's normalized because also it's supposedly rallying the basis, and that is what Kimmel is doing, and that is what Trump is doing. Kimmel knows going after Trump and Millennia, even to an extent, rallies the people who love watching him, just like it does for Stephen Colbert, just like it does for President Trump, and for Republicans, just like it does for Hakeem Jeffries. Everyone knows that the people who actually support them want to hear them go so after or at least they think that's what people want because they get attention, and then that leads to better poll numbers or better ratings.
00:14:09
Speaker 1: Okay, thank you. You should have led with that. I was getting myself worked up and you just explained it all. TJ. None of these people were talking to you. They're talking to their bases. Why we stop listening to them because what they're saying right now is not meant for you, is meant for a particular audience. Ignore it. I'm supposed to. Okay, gotcha, stay here, folks will remind you of the tweets that we're flying, and also ask this question, now that Kimmel has said what he has to say, is this the end of.
00:14:49
Speaker 4: All?
00:14:49
Speaker 1: Right? We continue here on Amy and TJ the morning after Kimmel has said, you know, you see a lot of places roes you love using that clapped back or AM's Milania, those kind of turns. But what he did he told a few jokes, and a bit of it was funny. In response, in defending the joke, obviously wasn't about violence and said, hey, starting your own house if you want to bring down the rhetoric they did have. She put out her tweet yesterday, Robes of course, calling Kimmel a coward and said he's hiding behind ABC and said ABC needed to take a stand. The President's tweet followed that said directly they should fire him immediately, immediately. But we're used to hearing that kind of stuff from the president. But Robes, now that this has happened, now that Kimmel has said what he's going to say, ABC and Disney have clearly said what they're going to say, which is nothing and which is a lot with their silence, will they let this one go? Robes, because the first lady was upset.
00:15:51
Speaker 2: I don't know.
00:15:52
Speaker 3: Look, there's a few groups out there, some organizations that are calling on the f CC chairman to investigate ABC and Jimmy Kimmel's comments.
00:16:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, he'll do it.
00:16:07
Speaker 2: And so that is what I'm waiting for.
00:16:08
Speaker 3: I'm going to hear from our favorite friend at the FCC who is going to jump on this. And look, I do think when Malania Trump is upset, I do think President Trump listens. I do think that that does bring this to another level. And I wouldn't be surprised if they announced an investigation into the joke and into ABC and threaten revoking their license their broadcasting license.
00:16:32
Speaker 2: I don't know.
00:16:33
Speaker 3: It's just what we've seen happen in the past. So I think they were waiting to see what ABC was going to do. They were waiting to see what Kimmel was going to say. But do I think this is over. I do not think it is over, Okay.
00:16:45
Speaker 1: I just wonder what they can do next. Because Kimmel, I mean, he didn't go He could have gone harder after them. Know what, I actually appreciate that he said a couple of things in which he said, I understand that might have been a difficult night for her on Saturday. I understand how she might be upset or emotion at least acknowledged that he didn't acknowledge, however, that I see why somebody might see that hear that joke and think blah blahlah blah, and you know what a bone reflection a joke about him dying might not have been. That would have been nice, but.
00:17:16
Speaker 2: That would have been amazing.
00:17:17
Speaker 3: And for him to say, look, he can talk about you know, being excited and happy and celebrating the death of former FBI director Robert Muller. But that doesn't mean I need to stoop to that level too. So you know, he could have he could have found a way to raise the bar and he could have. Look, you can have a lot of fun. Trump gives you a lot to work with each and every day. You don't have to go there. And I understand that was that was low lying fruit because Malania Trump notoriously is not a big smiler. So I understand how that was an easy thing to say and to have some fun with, but is it.
00:17:54
Speaker 2: Look, I know that a job of a.
00:17:55
Speaker 3: Comedian isn't to uplift us all and to to to elevate our conversation. I understand their role oftentimes is to provoke and to push things. But in these times, it would be so awesome if there was just an understanding of that.
00:18:13
Speaker 2: Maybe that's too much to ask of a comedian, but really.
00:18:15
Speaker 3: The only fallout really from the whole hubub so far for Kimmel was that his original guest, the mentalist Oz Perlman, who was supposed to actually be the entertainment for the White House Correspondence.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: Or he pulled his.
00:18:29
Speaker 3: Appearance from Kimmel after the joke. That was really the only fallout that I saw Clary.
00:18:34
Speaker 1: I didn't see him say it was because of the joke. Well, because he didn't perform at the White House Correspondence dinner and no somethow is he saying it was because of this?
00:18:41
Speaker 3: Well, not sure, but we just understand that before his taping, he was replaced by Pod Save America host John Lovett. They have not specifically said that that was in light of but there are people who believe that that might be why he wasn't ultimately on the show.
00:18:59
Speaker 1: This is a This isn't a free speech question. This is an issue of hiring and firing. This isn't an issue of comedians not able to tell their own jokes. This is just a matter of come on, just somebody make the first move to elevate the conversation. That's all. That's just a hope we have. That's all this was. It was just a hope that somebody can elevate.
00:19:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, and maybe the starting point was for him for Kimmel to say, I am sorry that you and the President and every one in the room on Saturday went through that.
00:19:34
Speaker 2: I really am.
00:19:35
Speaker 3: I do believe him and I will take him at his word at that and he said just because no one got killed doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic. It's scary and we should come together and be best. I mean, that is what the President said initially. We heard Kimill say it last night. Good luck with that, everybody.
00:19:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, just turn on cable news today and see how the conversation is going. And with that, folks, we always appreciate you spending some time with us on behalf of my dear Amy Roeboch and T. J. Holmes will talk to Austin m hm
Speaker 1: Hey, folks, it is Tuesday, April twenty eighth, and Jimmy Kimmel still has a job, and he's still cracking jokes at the expense of the President and First Lady after they both called for him to be fired yesterday. With that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes thought this might have been on the table for ABC to have to say something or do something. They said nothing, They did nothing, and the show went on.
00:00:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I actually am surprised.
00:00:31
Speaker 3: And Jimmy Kimmel has definitely gone on to defend himself quite vehemently for the joke, stands by his joke, and yeah, crickets from ABC, crickets from Disney unexpected. And I think I guess we were saying yesterday, either they had to do something fairly dramatic as in firing him, or they would do nothing at all, or and by that support him.
00:00:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, and they supported him with their silence, which they just let him go on and speak for himself. So this all got started. It really. Look, we're used to the President saying every week or so that he wants some late night host fired. He goes off on television personalities all the time. So if the headline was the President calls for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired, we probably would not have done an episode about it yesterday. But Rose, it did take it to another level when the First Lady spoke up.
00:01:23
Speaker 3: Yes, the First Lady doesn't use her voice very often, so when she does, we listen, and she did not mince words about how she felt about Jimmy Kimmel's joke that he told on Thursday evening before the White House Correspondence sinner on Saturday night. Now, of course we all know what happened. There was a third attempt made on the President's life by a gunman who was trying to get into that ballroom. But the joke was told two days beforehand. However, look, if it were told at any point, I think you and I both agreed it was in terrible taste. I don't think it's funny to ever joke about someone dying or someone looking forward to her husband's death, especially when you're talking about our president. And sure you can point to some of what the President has put out there in terms of his cheering on other people's deaths or saying other things that are very very low and horrible to even hear from our president. It doesn't mean that we still expect that from others. It doesn't mean that you can say, well, you did it, so I can do it. But it kind of seems like that's what's happening.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: Yes, we've all our national discourse could take place on an elementary school playground. Is how we talk about each other these days. So did you think the joke was funny? Take a listen to the original that started all the hub up.
00:02:45
Speaker 4: Our first Lady Milania is here. Look at more so beautiful missus Trump. You have a glow like an expectant widow.
00:02:53
Speaker 1: Okay, it is what it is. It was a joke. He was doing a mock roast and he was roasting the president and first Lady in mocking fashion and made this joke. Go. Okay, fine, comedians do this. I'm not taking them to tax for the joke. If you could look at it in a damn bubble robes without everything that's taking place around just given the history between these two, between these two men, given the history and the assassination attempts given Charlie Kirk, just to make a joke suggesting that this woman would be in some way looking forward to the death of her husband. This isn't about violence, nob, I'm not suggesting he was. This is not some call to violence, So that's I wouldn't suggest that, but just robes just in poor taste, given all that's happened to suggest she'd be happy or looking forward to her husband's death. It's not even something I would have suggested he touched. Yeah.
00:03:49
Speaker 3: And frankly, look, I know that it's We all have First Amendment rights, comedians, all of us, the president himself, anyone in this country is free to say what they'd like. It doesn't mean that a company would necessarily stand by your remarks or that you'll necessarily get to keep your job if you continue to speak the way you do. Clearly it's not criminal, but the question is is it appropriate? And look, I know that that is what comedians do. They push the envelope, they offend, that's part of their humor. Understandable. I just personally don't think it's funny at all. And I understood why Malania Trump was extremely upset about this particular joke, given the fact that there had at that point already been two attempts on her husband's life and certainly just with Charlie Kirk and Erica Kirk being so.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: Such a big part.
00:04:39
Speaker 3: Of and she was at the White House correspondence dinner as well too, but just having a widow very publicly and very recently being the face of someone grieving the loss of her husband who was taken out by an assassin, and the fact that Jimmy Kimmel was a part of that, Like that was why he got suspended in the the first place, making comments shortly after Charlie Kirk's assassination. It just it was shocking that he would even enter into that territory again, and yet he did, and so it's not surprising the President wanted him fired, but it was it was something to pay attention to that Malania Trump spoke up, spoke loudly, and spoke sharply and understandably.
00:05:25
Speaker 1: This was a woman who went through a pretty traumatic experience on Saturday night, and Robes the last thing she wanted. I don't know if she came to her attention last week when it happened or not, And maybe this was the first time she heard about it was on Monday morning or who knows, but Robes even if she had heard about it last week when it aired, and then decided to get upset after Saturday. I still even understand that robes what this family has gone through. Her husband got shot by the way in the ear, Okay, I mean, just given that, you can say what you want, but there are human beings at the same time, and this is not something I would suggest she's in the mood to be laughing about. So we were waiting for ABC to say something. Yesterday we did an episode about it, and both of us expected one thing or the other. They had to go full on support or they had to fire him. There was no middle ground. He couldn't be suspended again.
00:06:23
Speaker 3: No, that's just that was a debacle because what they did when they suspended him is they just pissed everybody off. They upset the right because they didn't go so far as to fire him, and they set the left because they suspended him and silenced him. And so there were petitions to bring him back on the air. There were protests and rallies in support of Kimmel. So basically when they suspended him, they just they pissed everybody off. So they either had to fire him or support him.
00:06:51
Speaker 1: And the thing and you put it that way yesterday, and I said, okay, yeah, that's what it's going to come down to. But then a light bulb all for us, because of our experience in networks, there is a whole unit s and p standards and practices. That Kimmel joke last week was approved by the network. They see all of this stuff and they flag things or a problem, They flag things that might be a legal problem. And sweetheart, that joke. That's when we said, oh, wait a second, they're Proba'm not going to say anything because then they'd have to take responsibility for the joke themselves, as this wasn't just him going rogue. They knew about it, so yeah, rogue. They must have made a determination ahead of times that it wasn't that big of a deal.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: And they're hoping it blows over.
00:07:39
Speaker 3: Now. You mentioned yesterday, for most of the day Kimmel was the leading trend on X.
00:07:44
Speaker 2: And boycott ABC was right there behind it as well.
00:07:48
Speaker 3: And so look, we also know this about network executives is they take their time to see where public sentiment lies, and they oftentimes make their decision not necessarily what right or wrong or what's best for their talent, who they have certainly made the biggest star of ABC News. It's less about that and more about where public opinion lies, and so sometimes they just wait and see.
00:08:13
Speaker 1: So they certainly waited yesterday. Let Kimmeo go on and do his thing. He did go back up there last night and robed. He didn't have a response, and he started right off the top. But he has had some pretty funny stuff. Actually, he was a little funny at the top, and he was cute, and it was light hearted, and he was poking fun a little bit. But he joked about, yeah, I woke up this morning and the First Lady had called for my firing. You know, I'm sure that's happened to you guys too. He just started off and being lighthearted. But this was the gist of his response to the President and the first Lady calling for him to be fired.
00:08:48
Speaker 4: I'll call to fire me from our first Lady, Milania Trump, saying I should be fired because of a joke I made again five nights ago. It was a pretend roast. I said, our first lady Milani is here. Look at her so beautiful, missus Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow, which obviously was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they're together. It was a very light, roast joke about the fact that he's almost eighty and she's younger than I am. 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. But I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house. And also I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do, and I think a great place start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it, because.
00:09:51
Speaker 1: Okay, some of that was funny, some of that was poignant, and I get it, and that's been the line of defense for a lot of feat. You just criticize me, but look in your own house, and that's understandable, and a lot of people will say so. But if we keep doing that robes, then nobody ever changes their rhetoric, because all I can do is to defend what I'm saying is is that you said something worse.
00:10:14
Speaker 3: Yes, because we keep hearing now like everyone initially was a gas when President Trump would call people losers.
00:10:21
Speaker 2: And things like that.
00:10:23
Speaker 3: Now we're hearing everybody say that, and now there are expletives and curse words being thrown out in politics on cable where I actually cannot believe what I'm hearing. F bomb's flying, anger just being like just almost proudly displayed, and it's all about look what you're doing, clean up your house, and just if we're always just justifying our bad behavior by pointing to the other side and saying.
00:10:51
Speaker 2: Look what you did, look what you said.
00:10:54
Speaker 3: We're never going to get anywhere, and it just from the outside looking in, we all look like a bunch of kindergarteners. And I know Jimmy Kimmel was very eloquent in how he said what he said, but I actually just take issue that it was not a very light roast joke. I don't think that that's a fair way to categorize what he said.
00:11:12
Speaker 2: I think that minimizes what he said.
00:11:14
Speaker 3: And Okay, I can give him his age gap joke, but I think he knows exactly that it could have been taken in another way, given the context of President Trump's assassination attempts. I just look, he knew that it could be taken a whole host of ways, and he chose to say it, and he yes, and he was just laughing at basically the fact that she would be happy to be set free by his death.
00:11:42
Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, was at the point, was at the points for them to push the envelope a little bit, get just close enough to the line to where they could still defend themselves and get everybody talking again. Maybe and maybe that's and.
00:11:54
Speaker 3: That what comedians do oftentimes too. Controversy is usually good for comedians until it isn't. But there's a fine line.
00:12:01
Speaker 1: I cannot believe our our rhetoric is getting worse after Saturday Night. Like we thought it might take a week before we get back to normal, but this is even ramped up even more. Which odd people are going after each other Kimmel versus Milania, Hakeem Jeffreys versus Carolyn Levitt like that kind of what in God's name are we doing now? And so I understand the joke and Jimmy, I nobody's calling him to be fired. It certainly didn't, I said, nobody on this podcast, I mean, and and ro we understand just in the context of it all, I wish you not. He has a huge platform and voice, and people listen to this guy and Robes. It does make a difference when you hear the President using certain words, and when you hear somebody like this making a joke about the president's death. It does give us all a signal about the type of conversations we can and should have in public. This is all, okay, I know, y'all, it's just a joke. I know he's not calling for violence against the president, but in our national discourse, a joke like that, or the President saying what he says and calling everybody cowards and name calling babe. It's just we're seeing the results now of years of making this stuff normal.
00:13:30
Speaker 3: It's normalized because also it's supposedly rallying the basis, and that is what Kimmel is doing, and that is what Trump is doing. Kimmel knows going after Trump and Millennia, even to an extent, rallies the people who love watching him, just like it does for Stephen Colbert, just like it does for President Trump, and for Republicans, just like it does for Hakeem Jeffries. Everyone knows that the people who actually support them want to hear them go so after or at least they think that's what people want because they get attention, and then that leads to better poll numbers or better ratings.
00:14:09
Speaker 1: Okay, thank you. You should have led with that. I was getting myself worked up and you just explained it all. TJ. None of these people were talking to you. They're talking to their bases. Why we stop listening to them because what they're saying right now is not meant for you, is meant for a particular audience. Ignore it. I'm supposed to. Okay, gotcha, stay here, folks will remind you of the tweets that we're flying, and also ask this question, now that Kimmel has said what he has to say, is this the end of.
00:14:49
Speaker 4: All?
00:14:49
Speaker 1: Right? We continue here on Amy and TJ the morning after Kimmel has said, you know, you see a lot of places roes you love using that clapped back or AM's Milania, those kind of turns. But what he did he told a few jokes, and a bit of it was funny. In response, in defending the joke, obviously wasn't about violence and said, hey, starting your own house if you want to bring down the rhetoric they did have. She put out her tweet yesterday, Robes of course, calling Kimmel a coward and said he's hiding behind ABC and said ABC needed to take a stand. The President's tweet followed that said directly they should fire him immediately, immediately. But we're used to hearing that kind of stuff from the president. But Robes, now that this has happened, now that Kimmel has said what he's going to say, ABC and Disney have clearly said what they're going to say, which is nothing and which is a lot with their silence, will they let this one go? Robes, because the first lady was upset.
00:15:51
Speaker 2: I don't know.
00:15:52
Speaker 3: Look, there's a few groups out there, some organizations that are calling on the f CC chairman to investigate ABC and Jimmy Kimmel's comments.
00:16:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, he'll do it.
00:16:07
Speaker 2: And so that is what I'm waiting for.
00:16:08
Speaker 3: I'm going to hear from our favorite friend at the FCC who is going to jump on this. And look, I do think when Malania Trump is upset, I do think President Trump listens. I do think that that does bring this to another level. And I wouldn't be surprised if they announced an investigation into the joke and into ABC and threaten revoking their license their broadcasting license.
00:16:32
Speaker 2: I don't know.
00:16:33
Speaker 3: It's just what we've seen happen in the past. So I think they were waiting to see what ABC was going to do. They were waiting to see what Kimmel was going to say. But do I think this is over. I do not think it is over, Okay.
00:16:45
Speaker 1: I just wonder what they can do next. Because Kimmel, I mean, he didn't go He could have gone harder after them. Know what, I actually appreciate that he said a couple of things in which he said, I understand that might have been a difficult night for her on Saturday. I understand how she might be upset or emotion at least acknowledged that he didn't acknowledge, however, that I see why somebody might see that hear that joke and think blah blahlah blah, and you know what a bone reflection a joke about him dying might not have been. That would have been nice, but.
00:17:16
Speaker 2: That would have been amazing.
00:17:17
Speaker 3: And for him to say, look, he can talk about you know, being excited and happy and celebrating the death of former FBI director Robert Muller. But that doesn't mean I need to stoop to that level too. So you know, he could have he could have found a way to raise the bar and he could have. Look, you can have a lot of fun. Trump gives you a lot to work with each and every day. You don't have to go there. And I understand that was that was low lying fruit because Malania Trump notoriously is not a big smiler. So I understand how that was an easy thing to say and to have some fun with, but is it.
00:17:54
Speaker 2: Look, I know that a job of a.
00:17:55
Speaker 3: Comedian isn't to uplift us all and to to to elevate our conversation. I understand their role oftentimes is to provoke and to push things. But in these times, it would be so awesome if there was just an understanding of that.
00:18:13
Speaker 2: Maybe that's too much to ask of a comedian, but really.
00:18:15
Speaker 3: The only fallout really from the whole hubub so far for Kimmel was that his original guest, the mentalist Oz Perlman, who was supposed to actually be the entertainment for the White House Correspondence.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: Or he pulled his.
00:18:29
Speaker 3: Appearance from Kimmel after the joke. That was really the only fallout that I saw Clary.
00:18:34
Speaker 1: I didn't see him say it was because of the joke. Well, because he didn't perform at the White House Correspondence dinner and no somethow is he saying it was because of this?
00:18:41
Speaker 3: Well, not sure, but we just understand that before his taping, he was replaced by Pod Save America host John Lovett. They have not specifically said that that was in light of but there are people who believe that that might be why he wasn't ultimately on the show.
00:18:59
Speaker 1: This is a This isn't a free speech question. This is an issue of hiring and firing. This isn't an issue of comedians not able to tell their own jokes. This is just a matter of come on, just somebody make the first move to elevate the conversation. That's all. That's just a hope we have. That's all this was. It was just a hope that somebody can elevate.
00:19:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, and maybe the starting point was for him for Kimmel to say, I am sorry that you and the President and every one in the room on Saturday went through that.
00:19:34
Speaker 2: I really am.
00:19:35
Speaker 3: I do believe him and I will take him at his word at that and he said just because no one got killed doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic. It's scary and we should come together and be best. I mean, that is what the President said initially. We heard Kimill say it last night. Good luck with that, everybody.
00:19:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, just turn on cable news today and see how the conversation is going. And with that, folks, we always appreciate you spending some time with us on behalf of my dear Amy Roeboch and T. J. Holmes will talk to Austin m hm