David Letterman relieved to be out of late night wars amid ‘crippled’ democracy under Trump

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David Letterman thinks he retired at the right time.

The 78-year-old talk show icon appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday and discussed whether he missed having a big audience during current challenging times.

Kimmel asked Letterman, “When you’re relaxing at home in your big house and watching TV, do you ever wish you were on television talking about current events?”

Letterman replied, ‘Boy, you would think, but no – I’m so glad to be out from under this mess.’

David Letterman stopped hosting his late-night show in May 2015, just before Donald Trump began his campaign for president.

Letterman praised today’s late-night hosts, like Stephen Colbert who now hosts the show Letterman used to, for bringing political topics into their comedy.

Letterman praised hosts like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers for skillfully defending democracy, while jokingly admitting his own contribution is limited to occasionally criticizing the self-driving car company Waymo.

While on ABC’s late-night program, Letterman also praised the political humor of Saturday Night Live.

Letterman expressed his gratitude for support from sources like ‘SNL’ and others, saying he believes it’s essential in a struggling democracy.

Kimmel stated he’d rather the recognition be limited to himself, but he acknowledged and appreciated the contributions of Jon Stewart from The Daily Show, adding him to the list of entertainers who have spoken out during politically charged periods.

Said Kimmel, ‘I mean, there are many others that we can include here.’

I’ve been a longtime Letterman fan, and I remember him having Donald Trump on his show quite a few times back in the 80s and 90s. Recently, I heard Letterman say he always got the impression Trump was easily bothered by criticism – that he had pretty thin skin, really.

No matter your political beliefs, if the President acts foolishly, they should accept and consider any criticism they get,” Letterman stated.

Oh my gosh, I was SO relieved to hear Jimmy Kimmel got his contract renewed! Seriously, I was a wreck after that whole thing with his suspension back in September. It was awful – all because of some comments he made about how people were reacting to that Charlie Kirk situation. I just kept hoping they’d see how much everyone loves him, and thankfully, they did! It felt like forever wondering what would happen, but now I can breathe again! I’m just so happy for him!

Letterman said, ‘Another year is twisting those folks at Disney – good for you.’

It’s been over a decade since David Letterman hosted his last show on CBS. His departure from late-night television came shortly after Jay Leno, his longtime competitor, handed over The Tonight Show to Jimmy Fallon.

The Indiana-born comedian’s retirement from television brought a 33-year career to a close, a career that started with his groundbreaking NBC show, Late Night, in 1982.

Following a public disagreement with NBC over who would host The Tonight Show, David Letterman moved to CBS in 1993 to host a late-night show at 11:30 p.m.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! can be seen Monday thru Friday at 11:35 p.m./10:35c on ABC. 

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2025-12-12 06:35