President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have called for ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following a joke he made about the first lady during his Thursday night show.

In the monologue, Kimmel referred to Melania Trump as having "a glow like an expectant widow" while discussing the Trump family's connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The comment was made two days before a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday.

Melania Trump accused Kimmel of "hateful and violent rhetoric" and said it was "time for ABC to take a stand" against the comedian. The first lady's statement came in the aftermath of the White House correspondents' dinner shooting, though Kimmel's comments preceded that incident.

President Trump echoed his wife's sentiments, calling for Disney, ABC's parent company, to "immediately fire" Kimmel. The White House described Kimmel as "deranged" and characterized his comments as a "despicable call to violence."

Kimmel has been a frequent critic of Trump and his administration throughout his presidency. This is not the first time the late-night host has faced criticism from the Trump administration, as his show was temporarily pulled from air last year amid previous controversies.

ABC and Disney have not yet responded to the calls for Kimmel's dismissal. The network continues to air Jimmy Kimmel Live as part of its late-night programming lineup.