Posted 5 minutes agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownDavid Letterman Absolutely Destroyed The Trump Administration And The FCC With These Remarks Over Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension"We all see where this is going, right?"by Mychal ThompsonBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLinkHot Topic🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Politics David Letterman called out the Trump administration and the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! over comments about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer. Michael Loccisano / Getty Images On the Sept. 16 episode of Kimmel Live!, the late-night host said, "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." Randy Holmes / Disney via Getty Images In response to Kimmel's remarks, pressure and threats from the FCC chair, Brendan Carr, allegedly led to ABC pulling Kimmel's show indefinitely. Appearing on Benny Johnson's podcast, Carr said the commission has "remedies we can look at" in response to Kimmel's remarks. John McDonnell / Getty Images "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said on the podcast. "These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images BuzzFeed TrendingHot TopicLet's chat about all things PoliticsSee our Politics Discussions A few hours later, ABC announced Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be preempted indefinitely after Sinclair and Nexstar, which operate over 32 ABC affiliates, said it wouldn't broadcast the show for the "foreseeable future." BENJAMIN HANSON / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images The decision sparked protests and an outpouring of support from celebrities and politicians, calling out the censorship, especially given that Stephen Colbert's show will end in May 2026. BENJAMIN HANSON / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images During an appearance at the Atlantic Festival in New York City, Letterman didn't hold back with his verbal takedown of FFC boss and President Trump. "We all see where this is going, right? It's managed media," Letterman told the publication's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. Michael Loccisano / Getty Images "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," he said. Michael Loccisano / Getty Images Speaking directly of the FCC and Carr, Letterman said, "This guy, the FCC said, 'We can do things the easy way. We can do things the hard way.' Who is hiring these goons? Mario Puzo?" a reference to the author of The Godfather. Michael Loccisano / Getty Images, Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Letterman explained what he believes the relationship between media personalities and the FCC is based on his own experience in the industry. Arturo Holmes / Getty Images "The FCC - we're not happy until you're not happy, for God's sakes. When I was a kid, I was like 20 years old. I wanted to work at a radio station, so I went to Chicago to the FCC. You take a test. You pass the test. You have your third phone radio broadcasting license. That's what the FCC does. If you're a 50 thousand watt Clear Channel radio station, once a year, they'll come and check your dials and make sure you're not broadcasting at 55 thousand watts. And God forbid you are, then you get an $8 fine. That is the FCC. I don't know what is going on." To support his argument, Letterman shared how he mocked presidents and political figures without this consequence in his decadeslong career as a late-night comedian. He was around for Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images Except for Jimmy Carter, because Letterman said he's a "sweet guy," his show "mercilessly" attacked the administrations, especially Clinton and the second Bush. "The point is beating up on these people, rightly or wrongly, accurately or perhaps inaccurately, in the name of comedy - not once were we squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency, let alone the dreaded FCC," Letterman said. Randy Holmes / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images "The institution of the president of the United States ought to be bigger than a guy doing a talk show," he added. Randy Holmes / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Watch the clips of Letterman's responses here - and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
David Letterman to Jeffrey Goldberg on Jimmy Kimmel's suspension: "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." #TAF25 pic.twitter.com/yJxXOXjlj4- The Atlantic (@TheA