'Stuff of Dictators and Mad Kings': Legal Experts Condemn Trump Over Call to Fire Jimmy Kimmel

Constitutional law and free speech experts have expressed concern regarding the First Amendment implications of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump calling for the firing of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

The experts claimed that Trump's comments regarding Kimmel demonstrate a “flagrant abuse of power” and showcase the president's dictatorial tendencies.

Heidi Kitrosser, a law professor at Northwestern University, discussed the situation during a recent conversation with HuffPost.

“The calls by the Trumps for Kimmel to be fired are deeply concerning, because they strike at the heart of free speech in the United States,” she said.

Kitrosser said that courts have consistently protected free speech regarding the government and that Americans have the right to criticize elected officials.

She said calling for Kimmel's termination over a joke is "behavior unfit for a democracy."

“For the most powerful man in the world, the U.S. president, and his spouse to call for a comedian to be fired because he offends them is the stuff of dictators and mad kings,” Kitrosser added.

Raymond Ku, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, told the media outlet that Trump's call to fire a TV host is not what one should expect from a president.

“This is a flagrant abuse of power and a direct attack on freedom of speech,” Ku said.

He added, “Trump is threatening the entire media landscape by using the FCC to benefit his allies and punish everyone else.”

Ku was referring to the aftermath of Kimmel’s suspension in 2025, when Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr issued equal time rules on late-night and daytime talk shows.

Kitrosser emphasized that Kimmel’s joke does not “remotely justify a license revocation.”

On April 23, Kimmel performed a spoof of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

During the segment, he joked, “Our first lady, Melania, is here. So beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”

Kimmel's remarks drew more attention after an assassination attempt on Trump occurred at the WHCA dinner later that week.

Following this, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Kimmel’s joke was a call for violence and urged American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and Disney to fire the late-night host.

Melania criticized Kimmel for his remarks and wrote on X that the joke was intended to divide the country.

“His words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” the first lady stated. She called Kimmel a “coward” hiding behind the television network.

Following the backlash, Kimmel addressed the joke on his show on April 28.

"He's almost 80, and she's younger than I am," Kimmel said, pointing out that the joke was about the first couple's age difference.

Kitrosser stated that Kimmel’s speech is “unquestionably protected by the First Amendment.”

“It does not, in short, fall remotely within any of the categories of unprotected speech under a long history of free speech case law,” she claimed.

Further, Ku said that citizens have the freedom to “criticize our elected officials, whether through humor, insult or angry commentary.”