Actor Jane Fonda’s free speech group has jumped to the defence of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel as US President Donald Trump called for his immediate sacking.

Kimmel upset Melania with a sketch aired last week joking that she was an “expectant widow”, three days before a gunman allegedly stormed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with the alleged intent to kill Trump.

“In America, satire is not a crime. The right to mock, to challenge, and yes, to offend those in power, is foundational to democracy,” said the Committee for the First Amendment, a free speech advocacy group led by Fonda.

“From late-night television to political cartoons, comedy has long served as a powerful tool to expose hypocrisy, provoke debate, and drive accountability.

“This is a test — of ABC, of the press, and of our collective commitment to the First Amendment. The pressure is real. The intent is unmistakable.

“But we have been here before, and we know what is required from all of us. Speak up. Push back. Do not capitulate. Do not be silent.”

Kimmel also defended the “light roast” in his latest monologue, explaining that the “widow” reference was “obviously a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together.”

“It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” he said.

“It was not by any stretch a call to assassination and they know that I’ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular.”

He continued: “I am sorry that you and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am.

“Just because no one got killed doesn’t meant it wasn’t traumatic and scary. And we should come together and be best. We really should.”

“But if you want us to believe that a joke I made three days before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened, well maybe you should look into this psychic lady, too.”

Trump slammed Kimmel on Truth Social on Tuesday (AEST), saying he was “in no way funny” and had “terrible Television Ratings”.

He said Kimmel’s joke about Melania becoming a widow was “really shocking”.

“A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives.

“He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason. I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale.

“Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”

Actor and prominent Democrat George Clooney said both sides of politics needed to realise when a joke was a joke.

Clooney pointed to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s quip that “there will be some shots fired tonight in the room” before she headed into the Correspondents’ dinner.

“She was making a joke. Fair enough. You look at that side and go, ’Well, jokes are jokes.’ But the rhetoric is a little dangerous. And we’ve seen it a lot lately,” said Clooney at the 51st Chaplin Award gala where he was honoured.

Melania had responded to the sketch first in a post shared on X and described the talk show host as a “coward”.

“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country.

“His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America.

“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.

“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 behaviour at the expense of our community.”

In September, the late-night presenter was taken off the air and suspended indefinitely following comments he made on the show after the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, an ally of Trump.

The suspension was met with criticism from the public, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and political figures, towards the US administration for infringing on their freedom of speech and free press, leading to Kimmel’s return five days later.

-with AAP