David Letterman, the iconic late-night host, forcefully condemned ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show. Speaking at a panel on Thursday, Letterman branded the move, which followed pressure from the Trump administration, as “a misery” and “ridiculous.”
During his appearance at The Atlantic Festival in Lower Manhattan, Letterman addressed Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, stating, “We all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media.”
“You simply cannot fire someone out of fear or in an attempt to appease an authoritarian, frankly criminal, administration occupying the Oval Office,” Letterman asserted. “That’s just not how this works in our system.”
With his signature wit, Letterman quipped that he had been “smart enough to cancel myself” long before facing any external pressure.
ABC had previously announced on Wednesday evening that Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night program was being “pulled indefinitely.” This decision came after Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, publicly condemned comments Kimmel made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Carr had even 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 remarks echoed a rising wave of conservative criticism, accusing Kimmel of mischaracterizing the political leanings of Charlie Kirk’s assassin, Tyler Robinson, during Monday’s broadcast. On air, Kimmel had claimed Trump supporters were “desperately trying” to portray Robinson as “anything other than one of them.” However, Utah authorities have indicated that Robinson’s views had recently shown a shift towards the left.
The show’s sudden, indefinite suspension ignited outrage among liberals, who quickly denounced the network for alleged censorship and capitulation to political pressure from the Trump administration.
Letterman, adding his voice to the chorus of critics on Thursday, recalled his own decades-long career of satirizing presidents. He emphasized that “not once were we squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency” during his tenure.
“Everyone simply understood, in the spirit of humor,” he remarked, “why not?”
He continued, “And frankly, the institution of the President of the United States should be more formidable than a single talk show host. It really ought to be bigger than that.”
These comments served as a powerful declaration of solidarity from one late-night legend—Letterman, who hosted on CBS and NBC for over three decades—to a contemporary facing an unprecedented challenge.
This show of support isn’t new among late-night hosts. In previous months, after CBS abruptly announced the cancellation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” many hosts publicly backed Colbert on their own shows. Leading up to the Emmy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel notably erected a billboard in Los Angeles proclaiming, “I’m voting for Stephen” for best talk show, an award Colbert ultimately secured.
Reportedly, Jimmy Fallon, another prominent NBC late-night host, abruptly withdrew from a scheduled appearance at a New York conference on Thursday. Representatives for both the conference and NBC did not offer immediate comment.
The question remained whether Kimmel’s peers in late-night television would publicly address his show’s suspension on Thursday evening, as most Wednesday programs had been taped prior to ABC’s announcement.
Conversely, on his Fox News program late Wednesday, Greg Gutfeld harshly labeled Kimmel a “clown,” accusing him of “ignoring reality” by implying the political right was responsible for Charlie Kirk’s murder.