Melania Trump adviser Marc Beckman is pressing advertisers to abandon Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC show after the first lady criticized his “expectant widow” joke.
Melania Trump’s senior adviser is urging advertisers to pull support from Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, widening the pressure campaign against the ABC host after a joke about the first lady drew condemnation from both Trumps.
Marc Beckman, who advises the first lady and is CEO of the advertising agency DMA United, told Fox News Digital that ABC should cut ties with Kimmel and questioned why brands would remain attached to the program. “Kimmel should be fired. ABC should terminate his employment,” Beckman said.
The dispute centers on a segment Kimmel delivered Thursday parodying the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. In it, he said Melania Trump “had a glow like an expectant widow.” Two days later, President Donald Trump and the first lady were rushed out of the Washington Hilton after a shooting in the hotel lobby near the dinner, according to CBC. A suspect identified as Cole Allen was arrested after charging through a checkpoint and firing at Secret Service agents, wounding one.
Kimmel pushed back Monday, saying the line was a joke about the Trumps’ age difference and “not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.” He also said he doubted a joke made three days before the event had any effect on what happened.
Melania Trump had earlier accused Kimmel of corrosive and hateful rhetoric and called on ABC to “take a stand.” The president also said Kimmel should be fired by ABC and its parent company, Disney, describing the joke as beyond acceptable bounds.
Beckman framed his criticism less as a speech issue than a corporate and advertising decision. He said ABC, Disney and advertisers should consider whether they want to be associated with what he described as divisive political commentary entering viewers’ homes each night.
There is no evidence in the supplied reporting that the suspect saw Kimmel’s broadcast. CBC reported that, according to court documents obtained by multiple U.S. news organizations, Allen made a reservation at the Washington Hilton on April 6 and left California by train on April 21, before Kimmel’s Thursday parody aired.
The controversy lands amid broader tension between the Trump administration, federal regulators and media companies. CBC reported that the Federal Communications Commission ordered early reviews of Disney licenses covering eight ABC owned-and-operated stations, though the agency said the move stemmed from an investigation begun last year. Disney said it had received the order and was prepared to show through legal channels that it operates in compliance with FCC rules.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz criticized the FCC action, telling Punchbowl News in comments confirmed by his office that “it is not government's job to censor speech” and that the commission should not act as “the speech police.” FCC Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez also denounced the move on X as unlawful and said companies should challenge it.
Kimmel has faced pressure before over political comments. CBC reported that ABC briefly pre-empted Jimmy Kimmel Live! last year after backlash to a monologue about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, before the show returned. ABC and Kimmel later agreed to a one-year contract extension set to run through May 2027.
Fox News Digital reported that it sought comment from ABC and Kimmel’s representatives and did not immediately receive responses. The next signals to watch are whether advertisers publicly respond to Beckman’s call and whether ABC or Disney addresses the latest demand for Kimmel’s removal.
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