WASHINGTON — Jimmy Kimmel addressed criticism from President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump during Monday's episode of his late-night program, responding to remarks about a fake monologue he delivered Thursday at the White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner. Kimmel also addressed a shooting near the gala in Washington.

At the dinner, Kimmel said the first lady had a "glow like an expectant widow" and called the president a "delicate snowflake." The association's annual dinner was scheduled to take place on Saturday. In previous years, Kimmel had been invited to host the event, but this year a mentalist was invited instead of a comedian.

Two nights after the monologue, a gunman rushed through a security checkpoint at the hotel and opened fire on a floor above where the dinner was taking place. A Secret Service officer was injured in the attack and has since been released from the hospital. No other injuries were reported. Members of the Trump administration who were in attendance were evacuated when gunfire was heard outside the gala. The suspect was charged Monday with attempted assassination of the president.

On Monday, Melania Trump posted on X criticizing the monologue and urging ABC to take a stand. "His monologue about my family isn't comedy. His words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate," she wrote. President Trump described the monologue as a "call to violence" and said, "Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC."

Kimmel entered the stage Monday to a cheering crowd that was chanting his name. "There was no big reaction to the roast Thursday until this morning, when I greeted the day facing another Twitter vomit storm and a call to fire me from our first lady, Melania Trump, saying I should be fired because of a joke I made five days ago," he said. He called the roast a "tradition."

"I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something that we should reject. I do. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it," Kimmel said. He added, "I also should point out Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants to say, as are you and as am I, as are all of us, because under the First Amendment, we have, as Americans, a right to free speech."