The White House is again calling for network ABC to cancel Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show after a recent monologue in which he joked about US President Donald Trump's wife Melania being a widow.
The programme was broadcast several days before federal prosecutors say Cole Tomas Allen tried to shoot Mr Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
In it, Kimmel performed a parody of the event during which he said that Ms Trump had a "glow of an expectant widow".
Both Mr and Ms Trump posted messages on social media on Monday morning directed at ABC and Kimmel, expressing disgust with the monologue that was performed before Saturday's events.
"His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," Ms Trump's message read. "How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community?"
On his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump called on "Disney and ABC" to part ways with Kimmel.
"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," he wrote.
This is not the first time Kimmel's monologue has prompted a backlash in conservative political circles.
In September, his late-night talk show was abruptly pulled by ABC after comments he made about the shooting of far-right activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC ultimately allowed Kimmel's show to return several days later, and the host clarified his remarks.
The network's initial decision to temporarily pull Jimmy Kimmel Live was not without controversy.
Many viewers called local affiliate ABC stations to complain about the move, and the company's streaming platform, Hulu, also saw a surge in cancellations as support for the TV host grew.
In recent months, the Trump White House has been accused of politicising the Federal Communications Commission, led by Brendan Carr.
Mr Carr has been a frequent critic of late-night shows for "enforcing a very narrow political ideology".
CBS recently announced the coming cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with executives claiming the show was not profitable. Others have said the move was made to appease the Trump White House.
On Monday during a news conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt touched on the comments made by Kimmel.
"Who in their right mind says that a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?" she said.
"This political violence stems from a systemic demonisation of him and his supporters by commentators, by elected members of the Democratic party, and even by some in the media."
