Jimmy Kimmel joked about Rudy Giuliani being in 'the grave' days before he was hospitalized

WASHINGTON, DC: Jimmy Kimmel had barely weathered the fallout sparked by his “expectant widow” joke about Melania Trump, when yet another quip dragged him back into the headlines.

The Late Night Show host had joked about former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani being in 'the grave' just days before his spokesperson announced that he had been rushed to the hospital.

The spokesperson did not offer any details about what led to the hospitalization, but revealed that he was in “critical but stable condition” in a Florida hospital.

"Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he's fighting with that same level of strength as we speak," spokesman Ted Goodman said.

Jimmy Kimmel’s grave joke about Rudy Giuliani

Kimmel was addressing the backlash to another of his quips made before the White House Correspondents’ shooting in a monologue on Tuesday, April 28, when he dragged in 81-year-old Giuliani.

“So last night, America's mayor, Rudy Giuliani, rose from the grave to weigh in on the ongoing drama involving me,” the host remarked.

Kimmel also harshly asked whether Giuliani had anyone close to him to help in his time of need. "Does this man have any family members who can come get him already?" he said.

He then played a clip of Giuliani saying on his podcast that Kimmel is 'one of the most distasteful human beings in this country.'

When the crowd began booing Giuliani’s remarks, Kimmel fired back, saying, “I have to admit, it stings to be called distasteful by a man who embarrassed himself in front of Borat’s daughter.”

Still, Kimmel continued to play the clip from Giuliani's livestreamed podcast.

In the clip, Giuliani mocked Kimmel, saying he was “pretending” to host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and claiming few people watched, before dismissing him as “supposed to be a comedian” and labeling him “an incompetent jacka**.”

Kimmel, however, brushed off the attack with a laugh, firing back that it was “confusing” to be called incompetent by someone who “accidentally held a press conference outside a dildo store, who doesn't seem to have any understanding of when videos are running and when they aren't and has a gallon of squid ink dribbling off the top of his head.”

Jimmy Kimmel defends his ‘expectant widow’ quip

This came on the heels of Kimmel fighting back against mounting calls from Melania and Donald Trump for ABC to fire the host over his ‘expectant widow’ joke.

In a previous monologue, Kimmel made it clear he never meant to suggest anything violent. He said it was simply a “pretend roast” and “a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am.”

He also pointed to the First Amendment, stressing that everyone has the right to speak freely, including himself, the president, and the First Lady.

At the same time, Kimmel struck a more empathetic tone when addressing the weekend scare. “I am sorry that you and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am,” he said.

“Just because no one got killed doesn’t mean it wasn’t traumatic. It’s scary. And we should come together and be best.”