Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel pushed back on First Lady Melania Trumpâs public denial of any connection to Jeffrey Epstein, using a resurfaced photo to question her claims
Jimmy Kimmel ridicules Melania Trump over Epstein address
Jimmy Kimmel is calling nonsense on Melania Trumpâs insistence that she had no connection to Jeffrey Epstein, using his platform to challenge her claims just hours after she made them publicly.
The First Lady delivered a surprise address at the White House on April 9, reportedly catching even Donald Trump and other officials off guard. In her remarks, she directly addressed long-circulating rumors tying her to Epstein.
âI have never had any knowledge of Epsteinâs abuse of his victims,â Melania told the press. âI was never involved in any capacityâI was not a participant, was never on Epsteinâs plane, and never visited his private islandâŠI have never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.â It comes after a body language expert claimed to have spotted Melania’s ‘anger’ in Epstein denial speech.
She later added, âNumerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false.â
But later that night, Kimmel took aim at those statements during his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The host aired a widely circulated photo showing Melania and Donald posing with Epstein and used it to question her denial.
Jimmy Kimmel slammed Melania’s statements(Image: Variety via Getty Images)
âBy the way, while youâre explaining how much you didnât know Epstein, any particular reason you can think of that he had a picture of you guys on display at his house? Maybe this is the photo that came with the frame, I donât know,â Kimmel said.
He followed up with another jab, adding, âI, for one, when I see this, I think, well, these two donât know each other at all.â Donald and Melania Trump have always denied any wrongdoing relating to the Epstein case, have not been accused of any crimes by law enforcement and have never been identified as the subject of any investigation
Donald Trump later told MS Now that he had no advance knowledge of his wifeâs decision to speak publicly on the matter. He also reiterated her stance, saying she âdidnât know [Epstein].â
Kimmel seized on that detail as well, using it to criticize the apparent lack of coordination. âHe didnât know she was going to do it before she did it, which shows you just how smoothly things are running over there,â Kimmel said.
Melania Trump denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes(Image: Getty Images)
âShe must really hate him. I donât know how else to explain it.â
While Kimmel has long targeted Donald Trump in his monologues, his focus has increasingly shifted toward Melania in recent months.
That attention ramped up following the January release of the Amazon documentary Melania. At the time, Kimmel sharply criticized the project, calling it a â$75 million bribeâ that âAmazon made for her.â
He also dismissed the film itself, saying it was âa documentary thatâs dreadfully dull. The whole thing is Melania going to fittings, riding in a car, trying on clothes, and interviewing people to work for her.â
