David Letterman calls Trump a 'fool' who must 'expect and examine every bit of ridicule he receives'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: David Letterman appeared on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and went on a rant about Donald Trump, branding the president a "fool" who has it coming when comics roast him nightly.
The broadcasting icon who appeared on the Tuesday, December 9, episode showered praise on host Jimmy Kimmel for leading the charge against the Republican leader.
"People are aware of the fact that you are the leader of the resistance?" Letterman asked Kimmel.
David Letterman tells Jimmy Kimmel that "you are the leader of the resistance." and that "I'm going to suck up to you because I feel like if I kind of tag along with you, I'll be glorified in retrospect ...irrespective, party or political ideology—if the leader of the free world… pic.twitter.com/cCcjZWhrB2
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) December 10, 2025
David Letterman says Trump 'should expect' ridicule from late-night hosts
“Speaking of leaders, let me just say one thing here. Irrespective of party or political ideology—if the leader of the free world is a fool, the leader of the free world, then, should expect and examine every bit of ridicule he receives,” Letterman declared as the studio crowd cheered.
It was a not-so-subtle shot at Trump, who has repeatedly torched late-night hosts for roasting him, even cheering when their shows tank and demanding firings.
The commander-in-chief has gloated over the cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and called for Seth Meyers to get the axe from 'Late Night'.
Back in September, ABC briefly yanked 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' off the air after FCC boss Brendan Carr threatened heat over a rather distasteful joke Kimmel cracked about Trump's reaction to the killing of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk. Trump then hinted that Meyers and Jimmy Fallon should be next on the chopping block.
Letterman couldn't resist rubbing salt in the wound, especially since he was chatting with Kimmel just days after the host inked a fresh deal keeping his show on ABC through 2027.
"Another year is twisting those folks at Disney," Letterman quipped. "Good for you!"
Kimmel fired his own shots after the news of his contract broke, slamming the president for hosting the Kennedy Center Honors and bragging about it.
"He’s been boasting about hosting, saying, ‘We’ve never had a president host the Kennedy Center Honors before,’ which, yeah, why do you think that is?" Kimmel mocked. "We’ve also never had Neil Patrick Harris order a military strike on a fishing boat before."
David Letterman is 'glad to be out from under this mess'
A bit later, Letterman also gushes, "I'm so glad to be out from under this mess, because people like you and people like Stephen and people like Seth do such a masterful job of this, defending democracy...I thank God for you, thank God for others, SNL and everybody else, it's… pic.twitter.com/pAd2yROG77
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) December 10, 2025
The man who dominated late-night for 33 years, first on NBC's 'Late Night', then CBS' 'Late Show', admitted he's thrilled to be retired during the Trump era.
"No, I’m so glad to be out from under this mess, because people like you and people like Stephen [Colbert] and people like Seth [Meyers] do such a masterful job of this, defending democracy," Letterman said. "Thank God for you, thank God for others, ‘SNL,’ and everybody else. It’s just, I think it’s the way things need to be, in a democracy that’s seemingly this crippled."
In a lighter moment, Kimmel confessed to Letterman's bad influence on him.
"When I was about 15, I saw you smoking a cigar, and I started smoking cigars," Kimmel admitted.
"Job well done, America!" Letterman quipped to cheers from the audience.
The former TV titan was on the couch to hype Season Six of his Netflix chatfest, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman'. The three-episode series drops December 16, featuring Michael B Jordan, YouTube sensation MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson), and Jason Bateman.
