Netflix Axe 'Crude' Joke about Melania Trump Made During 'The Roast of Kevin Hart' Days After First Lady Demanded ABC Fire Jimmy Kimmel Over Tasteless Gag
Netflix axed a gag about Melania Trump made during 'The Roast of Kevin Hart' on Sunday.
May 14 2026, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
Netflix axed a crude joke made about Melania Trump during The Roast of Kevin Hart, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The special, hosted by Shane Gillis on Sunday, featured a panel of well-known comedians — including Pete Davidson, Chelsea Handler, Regina Hall, Draymond Green, Tony Hinchcliffe and Sheryl Underwood — who took turns making fun of Hart and each other.
Ruthless Crack At First Lady
Melania was targeted in a gag aimed at Tony Hinchcliffe and his controversial comments about Puerto Rico.
But after the show aired, one of the show’s writers shared some of the jokes that didn’t make the cut, including a ruthless crack at the first lady.
The joke targeted comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, best known for comparing Puerto Rico to "garbage" at a Trump rally in 2024.
It went: "Tony is like Melania: The only thing relevant about him is that he opened for Trump once."
It was not immediately clear why the joke didn’t make the cut but its omission raises questions whether Netflix wanted to avoid a public run-in with the Trumps.
Anger At Jimmy Kimmel Over 'Widow' Jibe
Melania pleaded with Disney and ABC to sack Jimmy Kimmel over joke at her expense.
The president and first lady recently called on Disney and ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel because of a joke he made about Melania.
Days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Kimmel parodied the event, delivering his own monologue as the event’s MC. Among the gags, Kimmel joked that Melania had the glow of an "expectant widow."
Footage of the bit resurfaced after the shooting, and even though it took place days before the incident, Melania urged Kimmel's broadcaster, ABC, to "take a stand" and take Jimmy Kimmel Live! off air.
The president later agreed, slamming Kimmel as "in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings" on Truth Social.
'Jimmy Kimmel Should Be Immediately Fired'
Donald Trump also waded in on the Kimmel joke, saying he should be fired.
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air in September last year, over Kimmel’s remarks about right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk’s killing.
But as RadarOnline.com reported, Kimmel enjoyed a ratings surge after his latest row with the Trumps — which he personally thanked them for.
The talk show host bragged about the "unparalleled engagement" by viewers he has experienced, after the president's repeated attempts to have him fired and pulled from the air gave him free publicity.
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The late-night host enjoyed a ratings surge after his row with Trump.
Kimmel entertained at ABC's annual upfront presentation, where networks roll out their new fall schedules to coveted advertisers.
And of course, his feud with Trump, which recently escalated after an ill-received joke about his wife, Melania, was his main punchline.
"Yes, the President has tried to get me twice over the last six months," the 58-year-old admitted. "That's one way to look at it. Another way, you can also say I’ve generated unparalleled engagement across a variety of platforms."
Kimmel further boasted about his increased viewership.
"Largely thanks to our partners in Washington, we are up 25%," he reported. "It’s a good deal to have the numbers go up nowadays."
