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Joe Rogan's ‘ridiculous’ reaction to Jimmy Kimmel-Melania Trump row: ‘When the assassination attempt…'
Joe Rogan criticized the backlash against Jimmy Kimmel's joke about Melania Trump, claiming it was ignored until after a gunman attempted an assassination.
Podcaster Joe Rogan on Friday criticized the “ridiculous” backlash directed at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke he made just days before a gunman attempting to target President Donald Trump and other officials at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner the previous weekend.
During a mock roast on his show last week, Kimmel humorously remarked that first lady Melania Trump possessed the "glow" of "an expectant widow." Rogan contended that nobody cared about the joke until after the shooting incident occurred later that Saturday.
In his episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan said, “ Ridiculous… He said that joke on a Thursday. On Friday, nobody gave a s*it… No one cared on Saturday until Saturday night when the assassination attempt [happened], and then all of a sudden everyone's blaming Kimmel.”
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Melania Trump and Donald Trump blast Jimmy Kimmel
The First Lady criticized Kimmel on Monday for expressing “hateful and violent rhetoric” intended to “divide our country” and urged ABC to “take a stand” by removing him from the airwaves.
Later, the President also reiterated demands for the late-night host's dismissal, labeling the remark as “very shocking” and implying that it was designed to provoke violence.
Jimmy Kimmel hits back at Trump
Kimmel defended himself multiple times during the show this week, initially explaining on Monday that the joke was a “very light” reference to the age difference between the Trumps. The President is 79 years old, while the First Lady is 56.
He recalled the joke on Tuesday after airing a clip of the Trumps' meeting with King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the White House, during which the POTUS expressed regret to his wife of 21 years that they would not be able to replicate his parents' 63-year marriage.
“My god, he should be fired for that,” Kimmel responded on Tuesday. “Only Donald Trump would demand I be fired for making a joke about his old age, and then a day later, go out and make a joke about his own old age.”
Earlier, Kimmel also remarked that if "low ratings" warrant his firing from the show, then Trump should also be without a job, as he is "bot doing too good either”.
Previously, Kimmel was removed from the air and indefinitely suspended due to remarks he made on the show following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, a supporter of Trump.
He made his return five days later after facing backlash from the public, Hollywood, and political leaders who argued that it constituted a violation of their freedom of speech and the freedom of the press.
