David Letterman on Tuesday offered a bit of advice to Donald Trump about his attacks on late-night hosts ― without even mentioning the president’s name.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, Letterman made a blunt suggestion to leaders “irrespective of party or political ideology.”
“If the leader of the free world is a fool, the leader of the free world then should expect and examine every bit of ridicule he receives,” said Letterman, whose remarks received applause from the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” crowd.
Letterman has sounded off in recent months about the late-night TV shakeups under Trump’s second term. In July, he called it “pure cowardice” for CBS, his former network, to cancel “Late Show” successor Stephen Colbert’s show in 2026 before alluding to parent company Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with Trump over his frivolous “60 Minutes” lawsuit. The settlement came just before Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media, which required the Trump administration’s approval.
“I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed because this is gutless,” Letterman said in a video shared to his YouTube channel.
He’s also gone to bat for Seth Meyers and Kimmel, mocking the president and his Federal Communications Commission chair for yanking the latter host off the air last September.
Letterman, who Trump has also attacked on his Truth Social platform, described Kimmel as the “leader of the resistance” on Tuesday and joked that the interview may not even make the air.
He also praised Kimmel’s recent contract extension with ABC through May 2027.
“Another year of twisting those folks at Disney? Good for you!” Letterman said.
Kimmel asked Letterman if he ever wished he could still talk about current affairs on late-night TV.
“Boy, you would think, but no. I’m so glad to be out from under this mess because people like you and people like Stephen [Colbert] and people like Seth [Meyers] do such a masterful job of this, defending democracy,” Letterman said. “…Thank God for you, thank God for others, ‘SNL’ and everybody else. It’s just — I think it’s the way things need to be in a democracy that’s seemingly this crippled.”
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