David Letterman Reacts to Kimmel’s Suspension by ABC, Calls Trump an “Authoritarian Criminal”

David Letterman shared his thoughts on ABC indefinitely suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! amid the host’s comments around the Charlie Kirk shooting this week, called President Trump an “authoritarian criminal” and told a New York crowd that as a network late night host for years, he was never “squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency” on his political humor.

Lertterman appeared on Thursday afternoon on a panel at the Atlantic Festival, which began today in lower Manhattan and will continue into the weekend as the news and culture magazine’s editors and writers host and appear on panels with thought leaders and celebrities. Letterman was at the festival to appear for an “Ideas Session,” which also featured playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar and comedian and actor Richard Ayoade.

“It’s ridiculous. 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,” Letterman told the crowd regarding Kimmel and his show’s suspension. 

The former host of NBC’s Late Night and CBS’ The Late Show also laid into the Federal Communications Commission’s Brendan Carr, referring to the regulatory agency chief, who was appointed by Trump, as a “goon.” 

“This guy [at] the FCC said, ‘We can do things the easy way. We can do things the hard way’. Who is hiring these goons? Mario Puzo,” Letterman said, adding that he has been texting with Kimmel and that he is doing just fine amid the show’s suspension and the controversy that has caused a media frenzy since its announcement on Wednesday evening. 

On Wednesday evening, ABC announced that Kimmel’s eponymous late night show, which has aired on ABC for 22 years, was “indefinitely suspended” after comments made during his monologue on his Monday show. Kimmel and Trump have been foes for several years with the president regularly a target of the ABC host’s jokes

On Monday night, Kimmel said during his monologue the following regarding the young man suspected of shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the right’s reaction to his arrest: “Many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and “Here’s a question J.D. Vance might be able to answer: who wants to hang the guy who was vice president before you? Was that the liberal left? Or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6?” 

Kimmel also said on Monday’s show: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”