David Letterman stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday night and took the opportunity to praise host Jimmy Kimmel for being “the leader of the resistance.”
“You know that I love you. I love this man,” Letterman praised Kimmel after sitting down to discuss the new season of his Netflix talk series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, which returns Dec. 16. “People are aware of the fact that you are the leader of the resistance?”
“I am the totally ineffective leader of the resistance,” Kimmel agreed.
“Speaking of leaders, let me just say one thing here,” Letterman continued. “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. … Now this is irrespective of party or political ideology. Irrespective of party or political ideology, if the leader of the free world is a fool, the leader of the free world should expect and examine every bit of ridicule he receives.”
Letterman was, of course, referring to Donald Trump, who frequently finds himself in the crosshairs of Kimmel’s jokes. Kimmel deferred to Letterman, noting that if he’s done anything right “I’ve definitely learned it from you.” The former late-night host congratulated Kimmel on his new contract, which extends Kimmel’s deal at ABC until May 2027. ”Another year of twisting those folks at Disney, good for you,” Letterman said. “Again, good for you.”
Kimmel asked Letterman if he ever missed hosting late-night TV, confirming that it’s been 10 years since Letterman departed The Late Show. “People used to know who I am and now I have to wear a name tag to get anything going,” Letterman quipped. He added later, more seriously, “I am 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. Thank God for you, thank God for others, SNL and everybody else. I think it’s the way things need to be in a democracy that’s seemingly this crippled.”
Earlier this year, Letterman lent his support to Kimmel after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air temporarily following pressure from the Trump administration. “We see where this is all going, correct?” Letterman said in response. “It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. And 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 added, “The institution of the president of the United States ought to be bigger than a guy doing a talk show.”
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction returns on Dec. 16 with a new slate of guests, including Michael B. Jordan, Jason Bateman, and Mr. Beast. A one-off episode premiered on Monday, Dec. 1, with special guest Adam Sandler. For their interview, Letterman met Sandler backstage at his comedy tour to talk stand-up, film, music, and more.
