David Letterman calls Jimmy Kimmel suspension 'ridiculous'

Late-night legend David Letterman connected Thursday called ABC's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's show "ridiculous," saying, "You can't spell astir firing idiosyncratic due to the fact that you're fearful oregon trying to suck up to an authoritarian transgression medication successful the Oval Office."

"I consciousness atrocious astir this due to the fact that we each spot wherever this is going, correct?" Letterman told Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg astatine The Atlantic Festival successful New York City.

"It's managed media," said Letterman, who hosted shows connected CBS and NBC for much than 3 decades.

"And it's nary good. It's silly. It's ridiculous," helium said.

ABC, which is simply a subsidiary of Disney, connected Wednesday nighttime said it was pulling the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" amusement disconnected the aerial "indefinitely" aft Kimmel linked the alleged slayer of blimpish activistic Charlie Kirk to the MAGA question of President Donald Trump. Kimmel has not been fired.

Letterman connected Thursday compared ABC's determination to the determination by CBS successful July to cancel its "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," effectual adjacent May.

A week aft CBS cancelled the Colbert amusement — which has mocked Trump — the Federal Communications Commission approved an $8 cardinal merger betwixt the network's owner, Paramount, and Skydance Media.

"They took attraction of Colbert," Letterman said Thursday.

"That was rude, that was inexcusable, the antheral deserves a large woody of credit, he's successful the Hall of Fame 9 times, and to beryllium manipulated similar that, due to the fact that the Ellison household [which owned Skydance] didn't privation to occupation Donald Trump with this move, truthful they got escaped of him," Letterman said.

"Not lone got escaped of him, got escaped of the full franchise."

Letterman said he's been successful interaction with Kimmel since the suspension was announced.

"He was bully capable to substance maine this morning," Letterman said. "And he's sitting up successful furniture taking nourishment. He's going to beryllium fine."

Trump connected Wednesday nighttime crowed astir Kimmel's suspension and mentioned Colbert.

"Congratulations to ABC for yet having the courageousness to bash what had to beryllium done," Trump wrote successful a Truth Social post. "Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than adjacent Colbert, if that's possible."

Disclosure: Comcast is the genitor institution of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would go the caller genitor institution of CNBC upon Comcast's planned spinoff of Versant.