Jimmy Kimmelis offering his take on whyMelania Trumpunexpectedlyaddressed her ties to Jeffrey Epsteinon Thursday, April 9.
During hismonologueon "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the comedian questioned the timing of the first lady's press conference, which came days afterPresident Donald Trumpannounced aceasefire between Iran and the United States.
"He spent the past six weeks trying to bomb this Epstein story out of the headlines. Two days after the ceasefire, she puts it right back on top," Kimmel said.
"She must really hate him. I don't know how else to explain it," he added.
Kimmel, aknown critic of the president, has criticized Trump's handling of the war in Iran. The late-night hostearlier this weekslammedTrump's threatto kill Iran's "whole civilization."
Read more:Melania Trump denied Epstein ties. She may still have to testify, eventually.
During hernews conferenceon April 9,Melania Trumpdenounced what she called "lies" and "false smears" about her ties to Epstein, adding that she was not friends with the convicted sex offender did not know about his crimes.
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Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!", will resume production after it was pulled off the air Sept. 17, following comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. Kimmel, a frequent critic of Donald Trump, often earned the ire of the president.After the announcement, Trump urged other networks to do the same. Scroll to see the other late-night talk show hosts that have feuded with the president over the years. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
In 2016, Jimmy Fallon interviewed Trump ahead of the election, ruffling the then-candidate's signature orange hair. After the interview received backlash, Fallon said he regretted parts of the interview. In response, Trump took to social media to criticize the "Tonight Show" host, writing: "@jimmyfallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous 'hair show' with me (where he seriously messed up my hair), & that he would have now done it differently because it is said to have 'humanized' me-he is taking heat. He called & said 'monster ratings.' Be a man Jimmy!" Fallon is pictured here at the Met Gala on May 5, 2025, in New York City. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart has a history of heated exchanges with Trump. In 2013, Trump tweeted, "I promise you that I'm much smarter than Jonathan Leibowitz - I mean Jon Stewart @TheDailyShow. Who, by the way, is totally overrated." Stewart is a sharp critic of Trump, often taking aim at the political movement he has created.
Here, Stewart is pictured at "The Daily Show" official Emmy Screening on June 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
John Oliver, a "Daily Show" alum who now hosts “Last Week Tonight” is also a frequent Trump critic, and feuded publicly with the president over a potential show appearance in 2015. Oliver said he wasn't interested in having Trump on his show, which Trump responded to on X, writing: "John Oliver had his people call to ask me to be on his very boring and low-rated show, I said ‘NO THANKS’ Waste of time & energy!" Oliver refuted that report.
Here, Oliver is pictured in at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
When CBS announced the network was terminating “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after the 2025-2026 season, Trump took to social media to celebrate. "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired, his talent was even less than his ratings," the president wrote. Among his late-night peers, Colbert was among Trump's sharpest critics.
Colbert is pictured here at Apple TV+'s Primetime Emmy party red carpet on Sept. 14, 2025, in West Hollywood. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Seth Meyers, the host of "Late Night" on NBC is a frequent critic of Trump and his administration.The ire, it seems, is mutual, with the president writing previously on social media: "How bad is Seth Meyers on NBC, a 'network' run by a truly bad group of people - Remember, they also run MSDNC. I got stuck watching Marble Mouth Meyers the other night, the first time in months, and every time I watch this moron I feel an obligation to say how dumb and untalented he is, merely a slot filler for the Scum that runs Comcast."
Meyers is pictured here at SiriusXM's “The Howard Stern Show” on June 17, 2025, in New York City. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, see late-night hosts who have beefed with President Trump
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!", willresume production after it was pulled off the airSept. 17, following comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. Kimmel, a frequent critic of Donald Trump, often earned the ire of the president.After the announcement, Trump urged other networks to do the same. Scroll to see the other late-night talk show hosts that have feuded with the president over the years.
More news:Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert ream Trump over Iran threats
'Big surprise': Jimmy Kimmel addressesMelania Trump's comments on Epstein
Kimmel called Melania Trump's address "a big surprise," joking that she "emerged from the rubble of theEast Wing" to deliver her comments about Epstein.
"She brushed the drywall off her business suit and delivered a doozy of a prepared statement demanding that we stop talking about something no one was talking about," Kimmel said.
Kimmel also responded to Melania Trump's assertion that "numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been calculating on social media for years now."
The host referencedPresident Trump'salleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
"This is the same speech he gave her after Stormy Daniels. She's just regurgitating it," Kimmel said. "But the bigger question is, what images have been calculating around social media? What is she talking about? And I haven't seen any images."
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X@melinakhand Instagram@bymelinakhan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Jimmy Kimmel calls Melania Trump Epstein address 'quite a plot twist'
