“It was not by any stretch a call to assassination,” he said, adding that he has long spoken out against gun violence.

“I am sorry that you and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am,” he continued. “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 [sic].”

However, he dismissed the idea that his joke had any real impact: “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.”

The Joke That Sparked It All

The controversy stemmed from a monologue in which Kimmel joked about Melania:

“Of course, our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania. So beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow. Melania’s birthday is on Sunday. That’s right.”

He added another jab: “She’s planning to celebrate at home, the same way she always does, looking out a window and whispering, ‘what have I done?’”