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Clooney Fires Back At White House Over Calls To Axe Kimmel

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George Clooney
Photo Credit: "George Clooney - TIFF 09'" by csztova is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

Liberal actor George Clooney stepped in to defend Jimmy Kimmel after the late-night host drew backlash from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump over a monologue delivered days before a gunman breached security at a Washington event.

Kimmel’s segment, which aired Thursday, took aim at the president and first lady ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

In the routine, he joked about Melania Trump’s demeanor and the couple’s relationship, including a line that described the first lady as having “a glow like an expectant widow.”

He also staged a mock introduction between the president and first lady, quipping, “Oh, by the way, Melania, this is Donald. Donald, this is Melania,” and added another line imagining how she would spend her birthday “looking out a window and whispering, ‘What have I done?’”

The monologue aired two days before a 31-year-old suspect forced his way toward a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the correspondents’ dinner was being held.

Authorities said the man was armed with multiple weapons and intended to target the president and others inside the ballroom.

Security personnel stopped the suspect after he managed to strike an officer’s bulletproof vest. Officials confirmed the president and other attendees were evacuated safely and that there were no fatalities.

Melania Trump responded publicly, posting a statement on X condemning Kimmel’s remarks.

“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” she wrote. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy—his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”

She continued by criticizing the network that airs Kimmel’s show.

“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough,” she added.

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“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.”

President Trump followed with his own response on Truth Social, focusing both on the monologue and a separate segment involving edited footage.

“Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking,” Trump wrote.

He also accused the program of presenting a fabricated video involving Melania Trump and their son Barron, saying it suggested they were present in the studio when they were not.

He tied the timing of the broadcast to the security incident that followed.

“A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives,” Trump wrote. “He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason.”

Trump then called for immediate action from the network. “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” he wrote, signing the post “President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the controversy during a briefing, connecting the suspect’s rhetoric to broader political messaging and criticizing the tone of Kimmel’s remarks.

“Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?” Leavitt asked on Monday.

“And having experienced what I did with the first lady on Saturday night, I can tell you that she was anything but that,” she said. “This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely deranged.”

Clooney fired back at Leavitt in comments reported by Variety. He framed Kimmel’s remarks as part of a broader tradition of comedic commentary and argued that political rhetoric on all sides has intensified.

“Jimmy’s a comedian,” Clooney said. “I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn’t mean shots should be fired. She was making a joke. Fair enough. You look at that side and go, ‘Well, jokes are jokes.'”

At the same time, he acknowledged that the tone of public discourse has shifted.

“The rhetoric is a little dangerous,” Clooney added. “And we’ve seen it a lot lately.”

He pointed to language used in political debates, particularly accusations that opponents are traitors, arguing that such claims carry serious implications.

“When one side is calling anyone they disagree with traitors to the country… I think the rhetoric is a little too heated,” he said.

Clooney suggested that lowering the intensity of political messaging would benefit public discourse.

He also reflected on how his upbringing shaped his views on media and power. His father, Nick Clooney, worked as a journalist, and he described a household where questioning authority was encouraged.

“My father’s rule when we were growing up was to challenge people with more power,” he detailed. “That’s always been our mantra.”

That perspective, he explained, has guided his own approach to public issues, even when it has led to criticism.

“It’s served us well. It’s gotten us in trouble, and that’s a good thing,” he noted.

Clooney highlighted the role of the press in holding leaders accountable, arguing that tension between government and journalists is part of a functioning system.

“I always have faith in the press. I always believe in it,” he continued. “You’re not supposed to have a good relationship with government. You’re supposed to be questioning them.”

He noted that leaders from both parties have faced scrutiny from reporters, including figures he supports politically.

“The people that I support… didn’t enjoy getting chased down by reporters,” he remarked. “People in power don’t like to have to answer all the questions in the world. That’s fair.”

Clooney added that reporters have a responsibility to continue pressing for answers.

“The reporters should make sure that they hold people’s feet to the fire,” he concluded, describing it as a principle that has long been part of American political life.

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