Jimmy Kimmel thinks David Letterman’s departure from late-night TV may have helped bring about the election of “our abusive, orange stepfather,” Donald Trump.
Letterman’s CBS replacement Stephen Colbert hasn’t exactly been too kind to Trump the candidate or Trump the president.
But ABC late-night comic host Kimmel singled out Letterman as the former CBS star received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
“[Jimmy] Kimmel blamed Letterman’s ‘Late Show’ retirement for paving the way for a Trump victory,” noted Billboard.
Kimmel’s quotes seemed to back up Billboard’s conclusion.
“David Letterman signed off the air at 1:35 a.m. on May 21, 2015, and since that night the world has gone to complete and utter… are we allowed to say (shit) on PBS?” Kimmel said. “It’s like you went out for cigarettes one day and left us in the hands of our abusive, orange stepfather.”
Before the ceremonies, former “Good Times” star Jimmie Walker said: “We’re in Washington, D.C., and this is a very liberal audience…. And you will not find a pro-Trump joke in America. Keep looking, you’ll never find one.”
Letterman gave a 10-minute acceptance speech, noting he was there in the spotlight “because of the hundreds and hundreds and perhaps thousands of people who have helped me… We have to help each other, or nothing will happen.”
Then he said: “There are millions of quotes from Mark Twain… I’m going to wrap this up with a quote, and it has to do with patriotism. Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your country when it deserves it.”
The awards show is set to air Nov. 20 on PBS.
How David Letterman accepted his Mark Twain Prize for American Humor last night: https://t.co/uDhmBWatRA pic.twitter.com/lEs39TBik6
— Matt Wilstein (@mattwilstein) October 23, 2017