Content Advisory: This article discusses political comedy, backlash involving the first lady, and references to Jeffrey Epstein and Charlie Kirk’s death. Reader discretion is advised.
Jimmy Kimmel says he knew his Melania Trump joke had become a problem when it reached the late-night group chat.
During Monday’s episode of ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’, Kimmel appeared alongside fellow late-night hosts John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers. The group revisited recent backlash over Kimmel’s joke about the first lady, which aired during his April 23 episode of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’.
Kimmel had staged an “alternative” White House Correspondents’ Dinner during the episode, taking shots at President Donald Trump and his alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein. He also joked that Melania had “a glow like an expectant widow.”
Jimmy Kimmel Recalls Melania Trump Backlash
Colbert asked the group whether any of them expected to have jobs that the president of the United States would care about so much.
Kimmel said there was something even stranger.
“You know what’s even weirder? Doing a job that his wife has strong feelings about. That’s where it crosses over,” he said.
Melania later criticized Kimmel on social media, describing his joke as “hateful and violent rhetoric.”
That reaction apparently prompted Kimmel to message his fellow late-night hosts.
John Oliver Says Kimmel Texted ‘Oh Boy’
Oliver said Kimmel’s reaction arrived in the group chat with very little explanation.
“It’s an amazing thing to get in a group text, just a text from Jimmy saying, ‘Oh boy,’ and then a picture of Melania mad at him,” Oliver said. “What a way to start the day.”
Kimmel said the other hosts were among the only people who could understand the kind of attention that follows a White House joke turning into a political firestorm.
“I realize in those moments that the only four people who care are sitting right here,” Kimmel said.
He joked that it takes hours for people outside the late-night world to even notice something has happened.
“Two hours after that, a guy I used to work with sent me a text. He’s like, ‘Hey, do you know a real estate lawyer?’” Kimmel added.
Kimmel Has Faced White House Pressure Before
This was not Kimmel’s first clash with the Trump administration.
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ was temporarily pulled from the air in September 2025 after Kimmel made comments about Charlie Kirk’s death during an opening monologue. He returned six days later.
The Melania joke did not lead to the same kind of immediate broadcast disruption, but it became another example of how late-night comedy and White House politics keep colliding.
For Kimmel, the backlash was serious enough to send one short message to the group chat: “Oh boy.”
