Jimmy Kimmel responded after President Donald Trump called for ABC to fire him because of jokes he made about Melania Trump during a mock White House Correspondents' Dinner speech.
The host addressed the controversy during his April 27 monologue, defending a joke he had made three days earlier, well before the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Kimmel clarified that his joke about Melania's "glow like an expectant widow" was simply commentary on their age difference and her demeanor when they appear together. He emphasized that the joke could not possibly have influenced the violent incident that occurred. "It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am," he said. "It was not by any stretch a call to assassination and they know that I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular."
Kimmel's mock White House Correspondents' Dinner monologue aired on April 23. The official event took place two days later on April 25. A 31-year-old man named Cole Tomas Allen opened fire at the hotel hosting the dinner, but was arrested before he could cause any serious injuries.
In the last decade, stars like Jimmy Kimmel have picked up some of the prime spots on late-night and daytime television, representing a new generation of talk show hosts who have started to take center stage. While it's great to have a new perspective, we can't forget about the legends who made talk shows what they are today.
Click through this gallery to see the greatest talk show hosts of all time.