Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has come under fire over a controversial joke in which he referred to First Lady Melania Trump as an “expectant widow.” The remark, made just days before a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, has sparked outrage, with US President Donald Trump asking ABC to terminate Kimmel. Amid the backlash, actor George Clooney has stepped in to defend the comedian.
George Clooney supports Jimmy Kimmel
As per Variety, Clooney addressed the incident at the 51st Chaplin Award Gala, where the actor was being honoured on Monday. The actor compared the backlash directed toward Kimmel to another remark by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt that was taken out of context.
Before the White House Correspondents Dinner, Leavitt told Fox News on the red carpet that “there will be some shots fired tonight in the room”, which appeared to refer to the jokes written for the event. The actor asserted that hyperbolic rhetoric “can be toned down.”
“Jimmy’s a comedian, and I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn’t mean shots should be fired. She was making a joke. Fair enough. You look at that side and go, ’Well, jokes are jokes.’ But the rhetoric is a little dangerous. And we’ve seen it a lot lately. When one side is calling anyone they disagree with traitors to the country, which is a charge that’s punishable by death, just because they don’t agree with someone, I think the rhetoric is a little too heated,” Clooney said.
The actor added, “I always have faith in the press. I always believe in it. I’m the son of a journalist, you know? I also think that you’re not supposed to have a good relationship with government. You’re supposed to be questioning them. The people that I support- the Democrats. So, I’m a Democrat. I make no apologies for it. The people that I support – Bill Clinton, Barack Obama – they didn’t enjoy getting chased down by reporters. People in power don’t like to have to answer all the questions in the world. That’s fair. They shouldn’t enjoy it. And the reporters should make sure that they hold people’s feet to the fire. That’s the rules.”
What did Jimmy Kimmel say
The comedian is getting backlash following the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, where a Secret Service agent sustained minor injuries after a gunman attempted to breach a checkpoint with the intent to assassinate President Donald Trump and other members of his administration.
Kimmel had ridiculed the dinner in advance during his show on Thursday night, delivering a speech in which he remarked: “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
On Saturday, a gunman discharged his weapon at the annual event in Washington, D.C., and was taken into custody at the location.
First Lady Melania Trump has harshly condemned Jimmy Kimmel, labeling him a “coward”. She wrote, “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel 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. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”
US President Donald Trump has also urged ABC to terminate Jimmy Kimmel’s employment following the comedian’s remark. ABC has not yet released any statement regarding the issue.