David Letterman's Jimmy Kimmel Reaction: 'We All See Where This Is Going, Correct?'

""Beating up on these people, rightly or wrongly, accurately or perhaps inaccurately, in the name of comedy-not once were we squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency, let alone the dreaded FCC," he said. He added, "The institution of the president of the United States ought to be bigger than a guy doing a talk show." Letterman was speaking with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg a day after ABC announced it was suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live "indefinitely"-a move that critics attributed to pressure from Brendan Carr,"

"The incident has ignited concerns over free speech and the willingness of media conglomerates to bow to government threats. "We all see where this is going, correct?" Letterman said. "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-a criminal-administration in the Oval Office. That's just not how this works.""

David Letterman, 78, arrived onstage carrying a list of presidents he mocked during his 33-year late-night tenure. He defended comedic critique of presidents and noted that comedians had not faced pressure from governmental agencies or the FCC. He argued that the institution of the presidency should remain larger than a talk-show host. ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live indefinitely after a monologue implying a suspect's political alignment, a suspension critics attribute to pressure from FCC commissioner Brendan Carr. The incident raised concerns about media conglomerates bowing to government threats, managed media, and erosion of free speech.

Read at The Atlantic