Jimmy Kimmel quits feud with Sean Hannity, apologizes for joking about Melania Trump

Jimmy Kimmel is throwing in the towel on his feud with Sean Hannity.

The late-night host tweeted out a statement that apologizes for jokes he made last week on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! that mocked Melania Trump’s Slovenian accent. Hannity called Kimmel a “despicable disgrace” on his Fox News for making fun of the first lady, who speaks five languages, as she read to children at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

“I will take Sean Hannity at his word that he was genuinely offended by what I believed and still believe to be a harmless and silly aside referencing our First Lady’s accent,” Kimmel wrote in a statement posted Sunday afternoon on Twitter. “Mrs. Trump almost certainly has enough to worry about without being used as a prop to increase TV ratings.”

Kimmel also apologized for making a profane joke about Hannity in clown makeup that referenced President Trump. “By lampooning Sean Hannity’s deference to the President, I most certainly did not intend to belittle or upset members of the gay community and to those who took offense, I apologize,” his statement said.

Still, Kimmel had a parting shot for his critic: “I am hopeful that Sean Hannity will learn from this too and continue his newly-found advocacy for women, immigrants and First Ladies and that he will triumph in his heroic battle against sexual harassment and perversion.”

Their fight escalated when Hannity tweeted an old video of Kimmel from his days on The Man Show that invited women to feel his crotch and called Kimmel “Harvey Weinstein junior.”

On Sunday, Kimmel acknowledged his role in fanning the flames.

“While I admit I did have fun with our back and forth, after some thought I realize that the level of vitriol (mine and me included) does nothing good for anyone and, in fact, is harmful to our country,” Kimmel wrote.

He said “vile attacks” were made against his wife as a result of his jokes, and he received “wishes for death” against his baby son, Billy.

So what did Hannity think of Kimmel's apology?

"Just had this pop up," Hannity tweeted, promising more later. "I'll have a full and comprehensive response tomorrow on Hannity."

Contributing: Andrea Mandell