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Jimmy Fallon turned First Lady Melania Trump's nearly month-long absence from public events into a joke during Monday's episode of The Tonight Show, suggesting that she could have "run off" with Mitch McConnell.
Fallon addressed Melania's 29-day absence as President Donald Trump campaigned on Long Island without her. He joked that Trump's response to questions about where his wife had been, was: "Big deal, I haven't seen her in private in two years."
Fallon then delivered the punchline, telling his audience, "All I know is that it's going to be crazy when we find out she ran off with Mitch McConnell." He added, "That's gonna be bizarre."
The joke also referenced McConnell's own extended absence from public life. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican was hospitalized in June after a fall that briefly left him unconscious. He later explained that he had experienced mobility problems connected to a childhood case of polio.
McConnell spent weeks recovering in a rehabilitation facility before his team announced that he had been discharged on Aug. 6. However, he has yet to return to the Capitol or appear publicly, prompting continued questions about his health and ability to resume his Senate responsibilities.
Fallon has previously joked about McConnell's recovery. After a photograph showed the senator seated beside his wife, Elaine Chao, Fallon described the image as a "husband and wife ventriloquist act." He later compared two photographs of McConnell and joked that they looked like an assignment to "spot 10 differences."
Melania's absence has also attracted attention. She was last photographed publicly at the FIFA World Cup final on July 19 and has since missed several major events, including the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Her limited public appearances have not meant she has been completely out of the spotlight. Reports have said she has been working on a new docuseries for Amazon Prime Video, which is expected to premiere this fall and provide a closer look at her personal life.
