Jimmy Kimmel still has his job (as of this writing) and continues to shut down calls for him to apologize for a joke he told days before the latest attempt on President Donald Trump’s life.
But he still can’t escape the consequences of his incendiary anti-Trump rhetoric.
Amid ongoing backlash over his mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner roast, during which he said First Lady Melania Trump looked like an “expectant widow,” one scheduled guest with close ties to the shooting has pulled out of his planned appearance Kimmel’s ABC late-night talk show.
Fox News had this report:
Oz Pearlman, the mentalist who was scheduled to perform at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner on Saturday, pulled out of his Monday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Instead of Pearlman, Kimmel brought on liberal “Pod Save America” host Jon Lovett.
Deadline reported that it was unclear why Pearlman backed out of Kimmel’s show.
Even if it was just a coincidence, there’s no denying that a chorus of critics, including the Trumps, are calling for Kimmel to lose his job over the latest in a series of objectionable jokes at the president’s expense.
Many argue that his rhetoric, along with that of others in the anti-Trump entertainment industry, have contributed to the volatile environment that has led to multiple would-be attacks on the president:
“The Right Squad” breaks down the latest hateful and violent rhetoric coming from legacy media, headlined by Jimmy Kimmel’s recent comments regarding first lady Melania Trump.@MatthewFoldi @mercedesschlapp @mschlapp @TianaTheFirst @dlippman pic.twitter.com/MAcwS41C90
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) April 28, 2026
Karonline Leavitt slams Jimmy Kimmel for saying First Lady Melania Trump has the "glow of an expectant widow," slams media for deranged rhetoric against the President "night after night after night." pic.twitter.com/v980ewSDLg
— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) April 27, 2026
And Kimmel’s reaction was probably about what you would’ve expected:
Kimmel defends his Melania joke by making HIMSELF the victim and also blaming President Trump for political violence.
"Violent rhetoric is something we should reject… and I think a great place to start is to have a conversation with your husband."pic.twitter.com/znw2CyxMPP
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) April 28, 2026
Here’s some additional context from CNBC:
While it’s not the first time Kimmel has faced backlash over a show monologue — his show was briefly suspended in September after broadcast station owners threatened to disrupt the program following comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — the renewed challenges now fall under freshly installed Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took the helm last month.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump called on ABC to fire the late night host after he referred to the First Lady as an “expectant widow” during a comedy sketch last week, days before an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Melania Trump said in a post on X that Kimmel’s comments were “hateful and violent rhetoric” and “intended to divide our country.” Shortly after, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Kimmel’s comments amounted to a “call to violence” and were “far beyond the pale.”
Although he didn’t make it to Kimmel’s set, Pearlman has spoken publicly about the incident:
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