An unapologetic late-night host once again left ABC’s parent company to take the heat as even those tied to the broadcast company asked, “Are these values the ones you want to portray?”
“Disney has lost its way…”
Having previously faced heat for suggesting Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a part of the “MAGA gang,” Jimmy Kimmel stirred up new controversy with a joke prior to the latest attempted assassination of President Donald Trump that First Lady Melania Trump looked like an “expectant widow.”
While some characterized the joke as poorly-timed and others saw it as indicative of the pervasive rhetoric fomenting violence against conservatives, insiders called on ABC to “think long and hard” about what was being broadcast under parent company Disney.
“The government should have zero about who is on air,” an ABC staffer told Fox News Digital. “But if I were the head of a media company–news, sitcoms, whatever–I’d think long and hard about the country I wanted to mirror back to my viewers.”
The staffer added, “The ‘Ted Lasso’ model, where people are fundamentally good and flawed and trying their best to build in their communities? Or the ‘House of Cards’ model where everyone is cruel, and you get ahead by not caring about anything except your team and its power.”
Likewise, counting himself “embarrassed for Disney,” an entertainment lawyer who represents ABC talent told the outlet, “Disney has lost its way, its identification with wholesome, American values.”
“What does Kimmel have to do that affects his employer’s image, what would he have to say [to face consequences]?” asked the lawyer who contended, “At some point, you’ve got to stand up and say, this is America. Are these values the ones you want to portray?”
During Monday’s opening monologue of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the host reacted defensively toward the first lady after she called for ABC to act over his joke. He claimed it “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 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.”
KIMMEL DEFENDS THE JOKE: “I said, ‘our first lady Melania’s here, look at her, so beautiful. Mrs. 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… pic.twitter.com/hrwuW6lUpt
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 28, 2026
Melania Trump condemned Kimmel’s remarks as “hateful and violent rhetoric … intended to divide our country” before referring to the host as a “coward” who “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,” she added. “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?”
The late-night host’s response to the latest controversy came as no surprise, having previously earned the support of the leftists of Hollywood amid a temporary suspension when Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group had opted out of airing the program.
Upon his return to television, Kimmel served up a non-apology claiming victimhood status. He revealed some weeks later that he’d told his own son that the president was responsible for his suspension despite there being no evidence that Trump influenced the decisions of Nexstar or Sinclair to pull the show, as audiences took steps to boycott ABC and Disney.
It remains to be seen how Josh D’Amaro, Bob Iger’s successor as Disney CEO, will address the latest controversy. Worth noting, when Disney dropped the “Ladies and Gentlemen” greeting in 2021 for “inclusivity,” D’Amaro was the chairman of Disney Experiences. The greeting reportedly returned to Disney World earlier this month.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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