Jimmy Kimmel offered some backhanded praise for President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Wednesday, days after they urged ABC to fire him.
Kimmel's Response
“Our first couple, Donald and Melania, who lately have seemed closer than ever ― and I like to think I played a part in that,” the late-night host joked, then showed a clip of the couple at a White House event briefly holding hands before it turned into something a little more awkward.
“The hands say so much,” Kimmel said of the footage. Did anyone else catch it? The video showed the Trumps attempting a handhold that quickly became uncomfortable.
“You know what? Considering the week I’ve had with the first couple, I’m just gonna say that is a completely normal way to interact for two people who are very much in love,” Kimmel deadpanned, then added: “Maybe that’s why his hands are all bruised ― from Melania swatting them away.”
Background of the Controversy
Both Trumps called for Kimmel to be sacked for saying the first lady was glowing “like an expectant widow” in a monologue days before a gunman tried to get into a dinner they were attending. Kimmel defended the quip as “a very light roast joke” about their age difference: the president is 79, while his wife just turned 56.
The FCC has since ordered a review of the broadcasting licenses for Disney’s eight owned-and-operated ABC stations, a move critics said runs afoul of the First Amendment. Even some of Trump’s allies said that was a step too far.
See more in Kimmel’s Wednesday night monologue.
