WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump savagely criticized ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel as a “coward” Monday after he referred to her as “an expectant widow” two days before Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.

“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” Trump, 56, wrote in a post on X.

The comic is facing severe backlash after the attack on the gala dinner, in which a Secret Service agent suffered minor injuries after a gunman charged a checkpoint in a bid to kill President Trump and others in his administration.

Donald and Melania Trump were attending the dinner for the first time since his first election to the presidency in 2016, lending additional anticipation to one of the capital’s biggest annual social events.

Kimmel, 58, mocked the dinner on his show on Thursday night, giving his own speech in which he said: “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”

The host also mocked the Trumps’ 22-year-old marriage in his parody monologue, at one point pretending to introduce the couple: “Oh, by the way, Melania, this is Donald. Donald, this is Melania.”

The first lady also accused Disney-owned ABC of protecting the former “Man Show” host and called for ABC to step in and yank him off the air.

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

“Enough is enough. 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?”

Cole Allen, 31 was detained by authorities and is expected to be arraigned on multiple federal charges Monday afternoon in DC federal court.

The first lady was sitting between her husband and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at the top table when gun shots were heard.

She looked visibly shocked at the sound of the shots and started to crawl off the stage before Secret Service agents moved her and the president to safety.

The first lady appeared with President Trump and other administration officials in the White House briefing room fewer than two hours later, appearing on the verge of tears when the commander in chief spoke of past attempts on his life.

She looked visibly shocked at the sound of the shots and started to crawl off the stage before Secret Service agents moved her and the president to safety.

ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It’s not the first time Kimmel is being criticized for making insensitive comments.

In September 2025, Kimmel was taken off the air for a few days following backlash from affiliates in the wake of his comments about Charlie Kirk following his assassination.

The week-long suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” prompted widespread boycotts of Disney for alleged media suppression and First Amendment violations.

Kimmel failed to apologize upon his return to the air Sept. 23, but said: “It was never my intention to make light of a murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

But President Trump fumed about ABC’s decision to give him his show back.

“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” he wrote in a Truth Social post.