Mentalist Oz Pearlman backed out of a scheduled appearance on Monday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night, coming after Cole Allen Tomas allegedly attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Kimmel’s commented leading up to the shooting that First Lady Melania Trump had a “glow like an expectant widow.”

According to The New York Post, Pearlman had previously been slated as a guest on the ABC program, but his name was quietly removed from the lineup. Pod Save America host and former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett replaced Pearlman as the guest.
 

In his appearance, Lovett mocked Pearlman for canceling. He said the dinner “is supposed to be a chance to poke fun at people in power. That’s what you were doing,” he told Kimmel. “You were using your First Amendment right to poke fun at people in power. And that’s what that whole weekend used to be about before they changed comedian to mentalist.”

Kimmel asked, “do you have any mentalist powers that, um, you can share with us?”

Lovett replied, “no but, I’m sending a message to the mentalist right now.” He added after Kimmel asked what the message was, “you canceled you f*cking p*ssy.”

Kimmel quipped, “I’ve been sending him that message all day, maybe you tuned in to my mentalist, and then it went to the other mentalist.”

When the gunfire erupted outside the ballroom Saturday night, Pearlman was performing one of his tricks for President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

The assassination attempt has intensified scrutiny on Kimmel following a controversial monologue delivered on his show last week. During a sketch mocking the Correspondents’ Dinner, Kimmel said about the First Lady, “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”

Melania Trump issued a sharply worded response Monday. “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” the First Lady wrote on X. “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.”

She added, “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 behavior at the expense of our community?” she said.

President Trump called for Kimmel to be fired by Disney and ABC in a Truth Social post. “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” Trump wrote, saying Kimmel’s remarks came shortly before “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,” Trump added.

Monday afternoon, the Department of Justice unsealed a complaint charging Allen with attempting to assassinate the president during Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC. Prosecutors also charged him with transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.