Melania Trump slams 'coward' Jimmy Kimmel over 'hateful' joke and calls out ABC leaders

Melania Trump has issued a scathing statement about Jimmy Kimmel after the TV host made a joke about the latest attempt on Donald Trump's life.

On Saturday evening (April 25), Trump was hosting the White House Correspondent’s Dinner alongside his wife, Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and his pregnant wife Usha Vance.

Hundreds of people were in attendance at the Washington DC gala when a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the event. Video footage showed the president hiding under the table before being quickly whisked away by a team of Secret Service agents.

31-year-old Cole Allen has since been named as a suspect.

There has been numerous attempts on Trump's live over the last few years, something which Jimmy Kimmel used as the punchline of one of his jokes on his show on Thursday night – which was, of course, recorded before the shooting took place.

Parodying the first lady, Kimmel said of the dinner: "Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."

Little did Kimmel know that just two days later the president would have yet another close encounter with death.

In the wake of his remarks, Melania has taken to Twitter to rebuke the TV host and comic.

"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," she said in a statement shared today (April 27).

It went on: "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."

Kimmel's show was temporarily taken off air last year regarding comments he made about Charlie Kirk and the 'MAGA gang' using his death as a way to 'score political points'.

His show was reinstated after a few days after ABC's decision to cancel it drew in criticism across Hollywood.

UNILAD have approached Disney, which owns ABC, for comment following Melania's post.