National Religious Broadcasters Files FCC Complaint Over Jimmy Kimmel Remarks

WASHINGTON — The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to investigate ABC Television over remarks made by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on the April 23, 2026, broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The complaint centers on a monologue segment presented as a parody of the upcoming White House Correspondents’ Dinner. In the routine, Kimmel joked about First Lady Melania Trump: “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Look at that glow. She has the glow of an expectant widow.” NRB stated that the comment, when viewed in full context, “raise[s] serious concerns about the normalization and potential incitement of political violence.”

NRB President and CEO Troy Miller said in a statement: “We’re seeing a pattern of violence in this country that didn’t appear overnight.” The group requested a full and impartial FCC investigation to determine whether the broadcast violated federal law or Commission precedent.

Kimmel’s April 23 monologue came days after a gunman opened fire at a security checkpoint outside the actual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton, forcing the evacuation of President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other senior officials. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, had written a manifesto explicitly targeting Trump administration officials.

The filing highlights what NRB describes as Kimmel’s broader pattern of inflammatory on-air rhetoric. Kimmel has repeatedly attacked Trump and conservative Christians in his monologues. In recent weeks, he mocked Trump for posting an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ-like figure, claiming it “upset every faction of Christianity.” Earlier, Kimmel was temporarily suspended by ABC after comments following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that many interpreted as suggesting the suspect was a MAGA supporter. Kimmel has also described the MAGA movement as practicing “the opposite of Christianity” because its supporters, in his view, refuse to admit mistakes or seek forgiveness.

ABC has not publicly responded to the NRB complaint. Kimmel has previously defended his material as satire. The FCC complaint does not seek specific penalties but asks the agency to review whether the broadcast crossed regulatory lines regarding public airwaves.

The NRB represents Christian radio and television broadcasters and has long advocated for greater accountability in mainstream media content. The filing adds to ongoing debates about the tone of late-night comedy and its potential influence on public discourse following recent high-profile acts of political violence.