A rare gathering of late-night television’s biggest names on May 11, 2026, revealed the behind-the-scenes moment when Jimmy Kimmel learned he’d drawn the ire of First Lady Melania Trump — and his response was remarkably brief.
During the special summit on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Kimmel sat alongside John Oliver, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon as they discussed President Trump’s long-running feud with late-night television. When Colbert asked the group if they ever anticipated “doing a job that the president of the United States would have strong feelings about,” Kimmel didn’t miss a beat.
“You know what’s even weirder? Doing a job that his wife has strong feelings about. That’s where it crosses over,” he quipped, prompting Late Night host Seth Meyers to chime in that “most of us have avoided that part.”
That exchange set the stage for Oliver’s revelation about the viral text message. The British comedian disclosed what Kimmel sent to their private group chat the morning the first lady publicly called for his firing.
“Just a text from Jimmy saying, ‘Oh boy,’ and then a picture of Melania mad at him,” Oliver recounted. “What a way to start the day.”
Fallon admitted his reply to the group wasn’t exactly solidarity. “And then I sent a text to you guys. I sent, ‘Don’t be mad at me but I liked it. I think she’s got a point,'” he joked, sending the studio audience into hysterics.
How the Melania Feud Began
The controversy erupted from an April 23 segment when Kimmel hosted an alternative White House Correspondents’ Dinner on his ABC show. He joked that Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow” — a riff he later insisted was about the age difference between the first lady and her husband.
Two days after the joke aired, on April 25, a gunman opened fire at the actual White House Correspondents’ Dinner venue, allegedly targeting the president and members of his administration. The shooting transformed Kimmel’s joke from an edgy roast into a political firestorm overnight.
On April 27, Melania Trump publicly demanded action from the network, writing that “it is time for ABC to take a stand” and accusing the comedian of fueling “hateful and violent rhetoric.” President Trump went further on Truth Social, demanding ABC fire “seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel” and warning that “people are angry. It better be soon!!!”
Conservative supporters amplified the attacks across social media, with Turning Point USA-aligned influencers calling for boycotts of both ABC and parent company Disney.
Kimmel Fires Back at the First Lady
Despite the pressure, Kimmel refused to back down. He clarified that the line was “obviously a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together,” and stressed that “it was not by any stretch a call to assassination.”
He also turned the first lady’s own talking points back on her, suggesting that if she truly cared about toxic rhetoric, “a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.”
ABC has maintained its support for the comedian despite the backlash. The pressure escalated further on April 28, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered Disney to file early license renewals for all eight of its ABC-owned stations by May 28, 2026, years ahead of their scheduled renewal dates.
The FCC cited an investigation into Disney’s DEI practices, though the order came just one day after Trump’s firing demand, drawing accusations from legal experts and Democrats that it was politically motivated. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the panel’s lone Democrat, called the move “unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere.”
The ‘Saddest Part’ of Going Viral
In a more reflective moment on Colbert’s couch, Kimmel admitted that the attention from the White House feels strangely isolating in his day-to-day life. The only people who immediately understand what he’s going through, he said, are the four comedians sitting next to him.
The candid moment capped what may go down as one of the more memorable late-night summits in recent years. For now, “Oh boy” may be the most efficient summary of late-night television in 2026. Disney has offered its own two-word answer to the White House: Kimmel’s contract, which was set to expire in May 2026, has been extended through May 2027.
