A psychiatrist Oz Pearlman dropped out of his scheduled appearance on the Monday, April 27, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following the shooting of the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Deadline reported Monday that Pearlman had “left the show” and was replaced by a comedian John Lovett.
Us Weekly contacted Pearlman for comment.
Pearlman, 43, was among those attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, DC, on Saturday, April 25, when shots were fired at the annual event.
“At that time I was playing the president, the press secretary and the first lady,” the magician recalled on Sunday, April 26, from CNN's. State of the Union. “It [was] kind of a critical moment in the trick where you're about to reveal … and we feel the chaos.”
“I see everyone at one table,” Pearlman said. “I didn't hear a gunshot or see anything like a shooter, I thought there was going to be a bomb, I thought a lot, 'Oh my god, it's going to explode,' because of the way it was approaching.”
Last week, Kimmel interrupted the annual political event on the Thursday, April 23, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“Our first lady is here. Mrs. Trump … has the glow of a pregnant widow,” Kimmel said slowly. “Really, if our president has a health problem tonight, we have a doctor in the house – oh, I'm sorry. I mean we have Jesus in the house? I always confuse them, too.”
Within days, a joke broke out, and a gun was fired at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday. The president Donald Trumpmy wife Melania Trump and additional administration officials were escorted out of the ballroom at the Washington Hilton hotel. The Secret Service agent was caught during the shooting and taken to the hospital. The Secret Service member is expected to make a full recovery. No one else was injured.
The suspected shooter was identified as 31 years old Cole Thomas Allenengineer and part-time teacher from Torrance, California. He was allegedly armed with a handgun, a shotgun and several knives, according to authorities. The suspect appeared in court on Monday, April 27, and was charged with three crimes, including attempting to kill the president.
Two days after the incident, Donald, 79, criticized Kimmel's joke and said it should be stopped immediately.
“Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is not at all funny as evidenced by his poor television ratings, made a shocking statement on his show,” Donald shared on his Public Truth forum on Monday. “He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, as if they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren't, and wouldn't be. Then he said, 'Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, she's so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of a pregnant widow.'
The president continued, “The next day a madman tried to enter the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, carrying a gun, a gun, and several knives. He was there for an obvious and very bad reason. I realize that many people were offended by Kimmel's call for violence, and normally he would not have responded other than that Jimmy should have responded immediately. He has been fired by Disney and ABC, thank you for your attention to this matter!
President Donald Trump recalled his experience during the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, April 25. The president said in an interview on the Sunday, April 26, episode of 60 Minutes that he “wanted to see what happened,” which led to the Secret Service taking a long time to get him out of Washington. […]
Melania, 56, also responded to Kimmel's joke in a statement posted on X on Monday, “Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. The monologue about my family is not a joke — his words hurt and deepen the political sickness in America. People like Kimmel should not have the opportunity to enter our homes every evening.”
The first lady continued, “Coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will continue to work to protect him. Enough is enough. It's time for ABC to step up. How many times will ABC leadership make Kimmel behave badly at the expense of our community?”
Donald and Kimmel have had a contentious relationship over the years. The late-night host has often made jokes about Donald since he took office. Donald criticized Kimmel for his countless jokes.
Last year, Donald supported ABC's decision to temporarily suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2025 following the controversial comedy Charlie Kirk's death. After returning to the air during a hiatus, Kimmel is standing by his decision to talk politics on his show.
“To me, it seems obvious and inevitable, and I just can't imagine that night talking about anything other than what we're talking about,” Kimmel said on an April episode of the “IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” podcast. “I am very grateful to my colleagues for doing the same thing.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on ABC every weekday at 11:35 pm ET.
