Legendary late-night host David Letterman didn’t mince words when addressing ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show. Speaking at a Thursday panel, he fiercely criticized the move, describing it as ‘a misery’ and ‘ridiculous,’ especially given the reported pressure from the Trump administration.
During an appearance at The Atlantic Festival in Lower Manhattan, Letterman shared his concerns with editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, stating, “We all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media.”
“You can’t just fire someone out of fear or to appease an authoritarian, frankly criminal, administration in the Oval Office,” Letterman asserted. “That’s just not how this works.”
In a moment of classic self-deprecating humor, Letterman quipped that he was “smart enough to cancel myself.”
The controversy began Wednesday evening when ABC announced the indefinite suspension of Mr. Kimmel’s late-night program. This followed strong criticism from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who took issue with remarks Mr. Kimmel made regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Carr suggested that regulatory action against ABC affiliates could be on the horizon if the network didn’t ‘change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel.’
Carr’s comments echoed a rising conservative outcry accusing Kimmel of mischaracterizing the political leanings of Kirk’s assassin, Tyler Robinson, during his Monday broadcast. Kimmel had suggested that supporters of Donald Trump were attempting to distance themselves from Robinson, despite Utah officials indicating a recent shift in Robinson’s views towards the left.
The swift suspension ignited a wave of anger from liberal circles, who quickly condemned the network for alleged censorship and for capitulating to political pressure from the Trump administration.
Letterman, adding his voice to the chorus of disapproval, recalled his own career. He noted that throughout his tenure, he had frequently satirized presidents without ever facing interference from any governmental agency. “Not once were we squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency,” he emphasized.
“Everyone sort of understood, in the name of humor,” he remarked, “why not?”
He continued, highlighting the perceived imbalance: “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.”
His comments served as a powerful gesture of solidarity from one late-night legend, who helmed shows on CBS and NBC for over three decades, to a contemporary facing unprecedented challenges.
This act of support isn’t new among late-night hosts. In previous months, after CBS abruptly canceled “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” hosts rallied around him. Kimmel even erected a billboard in Los Angeles ahead of the Emmy Awards, publicly endorsing Colbert for ‘best talk show,’ an award Colbert ultimately secured.
Further illustrating the tension, Jimmy Fallon, another prominent NBC late-night host, unexpectedly withdrew from a planned appearance at a different New York conference on Thursday. Representatives for both the conference and NBC declined to comment on the matter.
It remained uncertain whether other late-night hosts would address Kimmel’s suspension on their Thursday night broadcasts, as most Wednesday shows were taped prior to ABC’s announcement.
However, Greg Gutfeld on Fox News late Wednesday night, labeled Kimmel a ‘clown,’ accusing him of ‘ignoring reality’ by implying that the political right was responsible for Mr. Kirk’s murder.