Former late-night television icon David Letterman has criticised ABC for suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show, accusing the network of bowing to political pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Speaking at The Atlantic Festival in New York on Thursday, Letterman described the decision as “a misery” and “ridiculous,” warning that it signalled the rise of “managed media.”
Letterman, who headlined late-night television for more than three decades on CBS and NBC, said, “We all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media and it’s no good. 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.”
The comedian joked that unlike Kimmel, he had been “smart enough to cancel myself.”
Why ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel?
ABC announced on Wednesday that Kimmel’s show was being pulled “indefinitely.” The move followed criticism from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who condemned Kimmel’s comments on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Carr suggested that affiliates risked regulatory scrutiny if the network failed to act.
Conservatives accused Kimmel of misrepresenting the political leanings of Kirk’s killer, Tyler Robinson. On his Monday broadcast, Kimmel alleged Trump supporters were “desperately trying” to portray Robinson as “anything other than one of them.” Utah officials later said Robinson had recently shifted leftward in his views.
Carr’s intervention, and ABC’s subsequent action, fuelled accusations from liberals that the broadcaster had succumbed to censorship driven by the Trump administration.
Letterman defends satire’s role
Letterman, who routinely lampooned presidents during his long career, said he had never faced government interference. “Not once were we squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency,” he recalled. “Everyone sort of understood, in the name of humour, why not?”
He added that the presidency should withstand satire, “The institution of the President of the United States ought to be bigger than a guy doing a talk show. You really ought to be bigger.”
Late-night community reacts
The suspension has left uncertainty across the late-night television landscape. In recent months, hosts have shown solidarity, with Kimmel publicly backing Stephen Colbert after CBS cancelled The Late Show. Colbert went on to win an Emmy, aided by Kimmel’s billboard campaign in Los Angeles urging voters to support him.
While Jimmy Fallon of NBC skipped a conference appearance on Thursday, it remained unclear whether other late-night hosts would comment on Kimmel’s suspension. On Fox News, Greg Gutfeld dismissed Kimmel as a “clown” who was “ignoring reality.”
For Letterman, however, the affair is no laughing matter, but a warning about the fragility of press freedom in America’s shifting media landscape.