Late-night icon David Letterman delivered a sharp critique of ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show. Speaking at The Atlantic Festival, Letterman, a veteran of over three decades in late-night television, labeled the move ‘a misery’ and ‘ridiculous,’ directly linking it to pressure from the Trump administration. He expressed a dire outlook, stating, ‘We all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media.’
‘You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian, a criminal administration in the Oval Office,’ Letterman asserted. ‘That’s just not how this works.’
With a touch of his characteristic humor, Letterman quipped that he was ‘smart enough to cancel myself.’
ABC’s announcement came Wednesday evening: an ‘indefinite’ halt to Kimmel’s show. This followed criticism from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, regarding remarks Kimmel made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Carr had hinted at potential F.C.C. action against ABC affiliates, suggesting that ‘these companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the F.C.C. ahead.’
Carr’s comments aligned with other conservatives who accused Kimmel of misrepresenting the political leanings of Tyler Robinson, the man implicated in Kirk’s assassination. On his Monday show, Kimmel had claimed Trump supporters were ‘desperately trying’ to portray Robinson as ‘anything other than one of them,’ despite Utah officials stating Robinson recently appeared to shift leftward in his views.
The indefinite suspension has sparked outrage among liberals, who see it as an act of censorship and a concession to political pressure from the Trump administration.
Letterman echoed these sentiments on Thursday, recalling his own long career of lampooning presidents. He emphasized, ‘not once were we squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency.’ He added, ‘Everyone sort of understood, in the name of humor, why not?’
‘And by the way, the institution of the President of the United States ought to be bigger than a guy doing a talk show, you know?’ he continued, ‘It just — you really ought to be bigger.’
His remarks underscore a growing sense of solidarity among late-night hosts. This comes just months after CBS abruptly canceled ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,’ prompting many peers to vocalize their support. Kimmel himself famously displayed a billboard in Los Angeles campaigning for Colbert to win ‘best talk show’ at the Emmy Awards, which Colbert ultimately did.
In a related development, Jon Stewart, typically seen hosting ‘The Daily Show’ on Monday nights, is scheduled for a rare Thursday night appearance. Comedy Central announced that Maria Ressa, author of ‘How to Stand Up to a Dictator,’ would join him as a guest.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon, an NBC late-night host, unexpectedly withdrew from a New York conference on Thursday, as reported by Deadline. Representatives for the conference and NBC did not comment. ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ website listed actor Jude Law and journalist Tom Llamas as Thursday’s guests.
A Paramount representative confirmed that Colbert’s guests for Thursday’s broadcast would include journalists Jake Tapper and David Remnick.