Melania Trump urges ABC to 'take stand' on Jimmy Kimmel after widow joke

Melania Trump has lashed out at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he made calling her an "expectant widow", days before a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner the first lady attended with the president.

The first lady called Kimmel's remarks "hateful and violent", urging his broadcaster ABC to take action against his "atrocious behavior".

A gunman opened fire at Saturday's dinner, an attack authorities say may have targeted members of the Trump administration. The joke aired on Thursday, where Kimmel parodied the dinner in advance.

"Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," Kimmel said.

In a post on X on Monday, Melania Trump said "people like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate", and urged ABC to "take a stand".

"His monologue about my family isn't comedy - his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," she said. "How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community," she wrote.

The BBC has contacted Kimmel's network, ABC, for comment.

Kimmel was taken off air last September after he made comments about the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

In a monologue, Kimmel said the "Maga gang" - a reference to Trump's followers - was trying to "score political points" from the murder of Kirk. His show was reinstated a week later.

After returning to the show, Kimmel said he accepted that some people felt his remarks about Kirk's death had been "ill-timed or unclear or maybe both", adding: "I get why you're upset."

In the latest incident, a resurfaced clip of Kimmel's Thursday joke sparked backlash on social media after the shooting, with critics accusing the comedian of encouraging political violence.

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, is expected to appear in court on Monday.

He was tackled by agents near a staircase that leads down to a ballroom where the annual White House correspondents' dinner was taking place, with hundreds of journalists, officials and public figures attending.