Mentalist Oz Pearlman won't appear on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' after WHCD shooting, Melania Trump 'widow' quip

Mentalist Oz Pearlman has decided not to appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this Monday evening, even though he was initially scheduled to be one of the controversial comedian’s guests.

The apparent cancellation by Pearlman follows closely on the heels of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident, where he was supposed to showcase his magic tricks for the President and the audience. This development comes shortly after President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump demanded Kimmel’s dismissal, labeling his monologue as “hateful.”


First lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump react to reports of shots fired at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner at the Washington Hilton, Saturday, March 25, 2026, in Washington.
First lady Melania Trump, mentalist Oz Pearlman, President Trump and CBS News’ Weijia Jiang react to the sound of shots being fired at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on April 25, 2026. Pool

Jimmy Kimmel called Melania Trump "an expectant widow" in a WHCD parody days before the gala was disrupted by a shooting at the Washington Hilton
Kimmel mocked the WHCD on his April 23 show, 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.”

Podcaster Jon Lovett has been announced as the new guest on Kimmel’s show, according to the updated lineup on ABC’s website.

Last week, Kimmel, 58, ridiculed the dinner during a skit on his program, where he delivered a fictitious speech, stating, “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”

On Monday, in the aftermath of the shooting, the First Lady expressed her anger, asserting that, “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”

“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric aims to divide our country,” Melania shared on X. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America.”

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

The president echoed his wife’s comments in a subsequent social media post calling for Kimmel to be “immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”

Trump argued Kimmel’s “despicable call to violence” was “beyond the pale.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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