David Letterman threw his support behind Seth Meyers after the Late Night host became the latest talk show target of President Donald Trump.
After Trump called on NBC to fire Meyers, Letterman appeared on “The Barbra Gaines Show” (Gaines was Letterman’s longtime producer on The Late Show) and said, “I’ve never been more proud of Seth Meyers,”. An incredulous Letterman then recalled his reaction to Trump’s demand, quipping, “I thought, ‘This is just delightful. How do you think that’s going to go?’”
Letterman went on to note that Late Night used to be his “old show” before his move to CBS: “We used to do that show, and [Meyers] does a magical job. But just remember, Seth, things happen. You know what I’m saying?”
While Trump has lashed out at Meyers before, earlier this month, the president called on NBC to fire him in a post on Truth Social. Trump accused Meyers of “suffering from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and insisted the comedian had “no talent.” Trump’s post was notably shared by his FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, whose previous threats against ABC helped lead to Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension in September.
Trump’s post about Meyers appears to have had little impact. Meyers brushed off the jabs on his show, joking, “I’m also aware that being attacked by the president this weekend doesn’t make me special in any way, shape or form. I was simply on the same shit list as Christopher Wray, James Comey, Indiana Republicans, Thomas Massie, Rand Paul, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and former President Joe Biden.”
He added, “I want to clarify that I take no issue with the president voicing his displeasure with my show. That is his right, and on a lot of nights, he’s got a point.”
As for Letterman, he’s been a frequent critic of Trump (later on “The Barbra Gaines Show,” he called the administration a “wonder of idiocy” and referred to the president as “our dictator”), especially as the president has focused his ire on Letterman’s late-night successors. During the Kimmel debacle, Letterman said, “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.”
And after CBS canceled his old show, The Late Show (now hosted by Stephen Colbert), Letterman slammed the network as “gutless” and “pure cowardice.” While CBS has insisted the decision to axe the show was financial, many have speculated it was done under pressure from the Trump admin due to a then-pending merger between CBS’ parent company Paramount and Skydance.
