Veteran late-night host David Letterman is calling out ABC over its decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! after political backlash, describing the move as “ridiculous” and an example of dangerous media control.
Speaking during a panel at the Atlantic Festival on Thursday, Sept. 18, Letterman didn’t mince words.
“This is misery,” he said, according to Variety. “We see where this is all going, correct? It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. And you can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”
The Controversy Over Kimmel’s Suspension
ABC announced Wednesday that it was pulling Kimmel’s late-night program after a wave of outrage from conservative circles. The uproar followed a joke Kimmel made in his monologue regarding the suspect accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The pressure came not just from critics online, but from high levels of government. Trump-appointed FCC chairman Brendan Carr urged broadcasters to drop the show. Major affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair, both media giants owning dozens of ABC stations nationwide, soon confirmed they would preempt Kimmel’s program. ABC followed suit shortly afterward.
Letterman: “Premeditated at Some Level”
Letterman argued that what happened to Kimmel looked like part of a larger pattern.
He pointed to Trump’s own public comments after CBS canceled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
“The institution of the president of the United States ought to be bigger than a guy doing a talk show,” Letterman said, before noting that Trump had openly predicted more late-night hosts would be targeted.
“So you’re telling me this isn’t premeditated at some level?”
Trump, in a Truth Social post earlier this year, denied involvement in Colbert’s departure but mocked him as untalented. The president wrote that Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon would be “next,” while insisting, “If you get ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don’t, you always become a victim.”
CBS had insisted Colbert’s exit was a business decision tied to corporate parent Paramount’s merger with Skydance, though speculation has long swirled that political considerations played a role.
Letterman on Kimmel’s Well-Being
Despite the storm, Letterman reassured festival attendees that Kimmel is holding up well.
“He texted me this morning. He’s up in bed, taking nourishment. He’s going to be fine,” Letterman joked.
Bigger Questions for Media and Politics
Letterman’s comments add to the growing debate about whether political pressure is reshaping American television. The speed with which ABC acted, combined with the history of Trump’s remarks about late-night comedians, has fueled concern among journalists, free-speech advocates, and entertainers alike.
For now, Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains off the air, and ABC has not indicated when — or if — the show will return.
Letterman’s verdict, however, is clear: the decision is “silly,” “ridiculous,” and a warning sign of what happens when politics and media collide.
Would you like me to expand this rewrite into a longer investigative-style article (around 1,500 words) that explores the broader history of presidents vs. late-night comedy, with examples from Nixon, Reagan, Obama, and Trump? That way it would feel like a deep-dive feature, not just a news recap.
