David Letterman describes Donald Trump adminstration as “criminal” in defence of Jimmy Kimmel
David Letterman has weighed in on the recent controversy surrounding the indefinite cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live in light of his commentary on the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel’s late-night show was recently suspended in reaction to the comedian’s reaction to the response from Donald Trump supporters to Kirk’s passing: “The MAGA Gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Kimmel also condemned Trump’s personal reaction to Kirk’s death, saying, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.” ABC labelled his comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse”.
Letterman, who hosted The Late Show from 1993 to 2015, was asked his opinion on the matter at a recent recorded conversation with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg on September 18th.
“Well, this is misery,” Letterman said. “They took care of [Stephen] Colbert. That was rude. That was inexcusable. The man deserves a great deal of credit.”
After criticising the Ellison family, who own Skydance, he went on to comment on the Kimmel controversy, stating, “I feel bad about this because—we all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media, and it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous.”
He then added, “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.” He received a huge round of applause from the audience.
Letterman also recently expressed solidarity with Stephen Colbert and hit out at CBS for their “gutless” decision amid the show’s cancellation. At the time, he remarked, “One day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed because this is gutless.”
Many other stars and politicians have spoken publicly about the suspension, which has become a linchpin in the discourse surrounding free speech and media censorship. Barack Obama termed the cancellation “dangerous,” while comedian Mike Birbiglia also called upon the stand-up community to rally around Kimmel.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.