Veteran late-night icon David Letterman didn’t hold back his sharp criticism of ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show. Speaking at a panel on Thursday, he called the move, which came after pressure from the Trump administration, “a misery” and “ridiculous.”
During his appearance at The Atlantic Festival in Lower Manhattan, Letterman directly addressed Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, stating, “We all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media.”
Letterman vehemently declared, “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. That’s just not how this works.”
With a touch of his signature humor, Letterman quipped that he was “smart enough to cancel myself.”
The previous evening, ABC had revealed its decision to “indefinitely” pull Kimmel’s late-night program. This followed sharp criticism from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, regarding remarks Kimmel made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Carr had even hinted at potential F.C.C. action against ABC affiliates, saying, “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 aligned with a rising conservative backlash. Critics accused Kimmel of misrepresenting the political leanings of Kirk’s assassin, Tyler Robinson, during Monday’s broadcast. Kimmel had claimed that Trump supporters were “desperately trying” to distance themselves from Robinson, despite Utah officials reporting a recent shift in Robinson’s views towards the left.
The show’s indefinite suspension quickly ignited outrage among liberals, who condemned the network for perceived censorship and for yielding to political pressure from the Trump administration.
Letterman joined the chorus of critics on Thursday, emphasizing his own history of lampooning numerous presidents over the decades. He stressed, “not once were we squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency.”
He explained, “Everyone sort of understood, in the name of humor, why not?”
He continued, highlighting the stature of the office: “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? It just — you really ought to be bigger.”
These comments served as a clear message of solidarity from one veteran late-night host – Letterman himself having spent over three decades helming shows on CBS and NBC – to another facing unprecedented challenges.
This expression of support is not isolated. In recent months, following the unexpected announcement that CBS would cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” late-night hosts have shown remarkable unity. Many publicly defended Colbert on their own shows, and in a notable gesture before the Emmy Awards, Kimmel even erected a billboard in Los Angeles proclaiming, “I’m voting for Stephen” for best talk show, an award Colbert ultimately secured.
Adding to the unusual circumstances, Comedy Central announced that Jon Stewart, typically a Monday night host for “The Daily Show,” would make a special Thursday night appearance. His guest for the evening was slated to be Maria Ressa, author of “How to Stand Up to a Dictator.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon, another prominent late-night host on NBC, abruptly withdrew from a planned appearance at a New York conference on Thursday, as reported by Deadline. Representatives for both the conference and NBC did not comment on his absence. Curiously, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” website still listed actor Jude Law and journalist Tom Llamas as guests for Thursday’s broadcast.
A Paramount representative confirmed that Stephen Colbert’s scheduled guests for Thursday’s show were journalists Jake Tapper and David Remnick.