George Clooney and Amal Clooney attended the 51st Chaplin Award Gala, where the actor defended Jimmy Kimmel against President Donald Trump's calls for his firing. Clooney addressed the dangerous rhetoric in politics, advocating for a free press and questioning those in power. He also referenced his father's journalistic principles and criticized the heated political climate.
Have YOU got a story? Email. Sign up for our weekly US Editor's Picks newsletter to get all the biggest exclusive stories George Clooney and Amal Clooney attended the 51st Chaplin Award Gala on Monday night, where the actor defended Jimmy Kimmel against President Donald Trump .
The 64-year-old leading man was accompanied by his 48-year-old human rights activist wife, who turned heads in a short fuchsia dress, as he was honored for his work in cinema. Clooney touched on politics while on the red carpet, coming to late night host Kimmel's defense amid Trump's latest call for ABC to fire him after a joke he made about wife Melania 'having the glow of an expectant widow.
' Kimmel made the wisecrack two days before Saturday night's White House Correspondents Dinner was targeted by a shooter. Similarly, ahead of the dinner, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt remarked that 'there will be some shots fired tonight in the room' during Trump's imminent speech that evening. Clooney hit back on Monday, per an account from Variety: 'Jimmy’s a comedian, and I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn't mean shots should be fired. She was making a joke.
Fair enough. You look at that side and go,"Well, jokes are jokes.
" But the rhetoric is a little dangerous. And we’ve seen it a lot lately.
' George Clooney, 64, and Amal Clooney, 48, attended the 51st Chaplin Award Gala on Monday night, where the actor defended Jimmy Kimmel against President Donald Trump Clooney touched on politics while on the red carpet, coming to late night host Kimmel's defense amid Trump's latest call for ABC to fire him #GeorgeClooney is defending Jimmy Kimmel after Trump’s latest call for his firing: “Jimmy’s a comedian, and I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn’t mean shots should be fired,” Clooney told Variety at the 51st Chaplin Award Gala, where he was honored for his contributions to… pic.twitter.com/ayxVRPnsbW — Variety April 28, 2026 Elsewhere, the legendary actor stated, 'When one side is calling anyone they disagree with traitors to the country – which is a charge that's punishable by death – just because they don’t agree with someone, I think the rhetoric is a little too heated.
' Read MoreEXCLUSIVE Olivia Wilde brushes off news of Harry Styles' engagement as she reunites with ex Jason Sudeikis He argued that the over-the-top rhetoric 'can be toned down. ' The silver screen star also referenced his 92-year-old father Nick Clooney, who was a journalist. 'My father’s rule when we were growing up was to challenge people with more power,' he recalled. 'That’s always been our mantra.
That’s what my sister and I believed, and what my mother and father believed in. It’s served us well. It’s gotten us in trouble, and that’s a good thing.
' The father of two went on to advocate for a free and fair press. He told the audience, 'I always have faith in the press. I always believe in it. I’m the son of a journalist, you know?
' Clooney emphasized, 'I also think that you’re not supposed to have a good relationship with government. You’re supposed to be questioning them. The people that I support, the Democrats – so, I’m a Democrat. I make no apologies for it.
' He continued, 'The people that I support – Bill Clinton, Barack Obama – they didn’t enjoy getting chased down by reporters. People in power don’t like to have to answer all the questions in the world. That’s fair. They shouldn’t enjoy it.
And the reporters should make sure that they hold people’s feet to the fire. That’s the rules. That’s what Jefferson talked about in 1787. We need to be able to have a free and fair press.
' It came after Kimmel made a joke about wife Melania 'having the glow of an expectant widow' Clooney hit back on Monday, per an account from Variety, stating, 'Jimmy’s a comedian' 'I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn't mean shots should be fired. She was making a joke. Fair enough. You look at that side and go,"Well, jokes are jokes.
" But the rhetoric is a little dangerous. And we’ve seen it a lot lately,' he added Kimmel joked about the First Lady having 'the glow of an expectant widow' at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in a mock speech that aired just two days before the real event Two days after his skit aired, a gunman attempted to storm the dinner In the wake of Kimmel's comments, both Melania and her husband have urged ABC - which airs Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- to fire the comic, who had previously drawn heavy criticism from the president for harsh remarks about Charlie Kirk's murder - comments that saw him suspended by the network for a week last September. On Monday, Kimmel appeared cool and composed as he broke cover in Los Angeles amid the controversy. In new photos, he was spotted arriving to the set of his show in his Audi, wearing dark shades with his wife Molly McNearney in tow.
Meanwhile Clooney looked handsome in a black tuxedo with a white shirt and black bowtie on Monday. Amal was typically stunning as she modeled a chic, fuchsia, off-the-shoulder dress with an asymmetric hemline. The mother of two, who shares eight-year-old fraternal twins Alexander and Ella with her husband, showed off her long legs in the fashion-forward ensemble. Her outfit was punctuated with a pair of pointed-toe metallic gold heels.
The British-Lebanese beauty looked radiant as she coordinated her footwear with a matching clutch and dangling gold earrings. Her long, brunette locks were styled in a sweeping updo with loose, face-framing pieces left out at the front. Clooney's greying hair was cut short and the Hollywood vet was clean-shaven for his special night.
Clooney's wife showed off her long legs in a violet mini dress as they arrived at the event Her outfit was punctuated with a pair of pointed-toe metallic gold heels The filmmaker held his wife's hand after receiving his honor Stephen Colbert was a gala presenter, 11 years after Clooney was his first guest on the Late Show Julianna Margulies, who starred with Clooney on the drama series ER early in his career, also presented Clooney's O Brother, Where Art Thou co-star John Turturro also took the stage Clooney touched on politics during his speech at the gala L-R Grant Heslov, Colbert, and Clooney backstage The star-packed annual fundraiser was hosted at Film at Lincoln Center.
Past recipients of the award include Pedro Almodóvar, Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Sidney Poitier, Alfred Hitchcock, and Billy Wilder. Monday's event was attended by famous faces including John Turturro, Julianna Margulies, and Richard Kind. Stephen Colbert was a gala presenter, 11 years after Clooney was his first guest on the Late Show. Margulies, who starred with Clooney on the drama series ER early in his career, also presented.
George Clooney Jimmy Kimmel Donald Trump Chaplin Award Gala Political Rhetoric
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