George Clooney mounts defense of Kimmel's 'widow' joke about Melania Trump, laments rhetoric is 'too heated'

Media George Clooney mounts defense of Kimmel's 'widow' joke about Melania Trump, laments rhetoric is 'too heated' Kimmel says the joke was about the Trumps' age difference, not a call to assassination By Hanna Panreck Fox News Published April 28, 2026 1:03pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Jimmy Kimmel addresses 'expectant widow' backlash ABC's Jimmy Kimmel addressed the backlash to his viral "expectant widow" joke after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump called for his firing. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Actor George Clooney defended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Monday as the comedian faces backlash over describing first lady Melania Trump as an "expectant widow." if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('tablet', 'lb2', 'tablet-tw-ad-lb2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban1', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban1', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } "Jimmy’s a comedian, and I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn’t mean shots should be fired," Clooney said at the 51st Chaplin Award Gala, according to Variety. "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."Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in an interview before the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner that there would be "shots fired" in the president's speech at the event, referring to his likely verbal jabs at the press. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('desktop', 'lb2', 'desktop-desk-ad-lb2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } "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. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban2', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } DISNEY UNDER FIRE AS ABC GRAPPLES WITH ANOTHER JIMMY KIMMEL CONTROVERSY George Clooney attends the 51st Chaplin Award Gala honoring him at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, in New York City on April 27, 2026. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for FLC) if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('tablet', 'lb3', 'tablet-tw-ad-lb3', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } Kimmel defended his joke about the first lady during his show on Monday."This was Thursday, and there was no big reaction to it until this morning, when I greeted the day facing yet another Twitter vomit storm," Kimmel said during his monologue. "I said, our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at her. So beautiful. This is from the glow. Like an expectant widow, which obviously was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we…

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