David Letterman delivered a pointed mix of praise and pushback in a new message posted to his YouTube channel Friday, hailing Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late night while denouncing Donald Trump as a “dictator” and a threat to democracy.
Letterman called Kimmel’s first monologue back “word perfect,” describing it as funny, powerful, and moving. He said it was “quite a document,” one that offered hope in what he saw as a bleak moment for free speech. “Jimmy really went to work,” Letterman added.
He then turned to Trump, who recently mocked Letterman on Truth Social as “overrated” and a “loser.” Rather than take offense, Letterman laughed it off, comparing the post to Santa Claus delivering a sack of gifts. Still, he warned against dismissing Trump’s behavior as surprising. “He’s a dictator. This is what dictators do,” Letterman said, adding that the real question is what people are going to do about it. Too many, he argued, remain “stunned” by Trump after years of similar conduct.
Trump, once a frequent guest on Letterman’s late-night shows, had also sneered that the former host “looks like hell.” Letterman brushed that off too, saying it was “a little like the pot calling the kettle black,” describing Trump as a “big tubby goofball.”
The longest-serving late-night host in television history, Letterman launched two of the genre’s most enduring franchises: NBC’s Late Night and CBS’s Late Show. Kimmel has often credited Letterman as his biggest influence, and the two have shared an affectionate, mentor-protégé relationship for decades.
Watch Letterman’s complete remarks at the top of this post.
