David Letterman thinks the kids are alright.
The late-night vet praised Seth Meyers in a new video when the topic of Donald Trump making Meyers his newest target emerged. “The president of the United States now wants to fire Seth Meyers,” Letterman said. “And I thought, ‘This is just delightful. How do you think that’s going to go? So anyway, I’ve never been more proud of Seth Meyers.”
Meyers is the latest late-night host to ruffle Trump’s feathers, following the president’s social media rants against Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert—both of whom had their shows taken off the air in the aftermath, although Kimmel’s suspension was brief. Letterman defended both hosts at the height of their showdowns, and he was equally passionate about supporting Meyers.
“But just remember, Seth, things happen,” Letterman added. “You know what I’m saying?”
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Meyers “may be the least talented person to ‘perform’ live in the history of television… In fact, he may be the WORST to perform, live or otherwise.” He added, “Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this???” and questioned whether legal intervention should come into play over the host’s jokes about him. He wrote, “NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!”
Trump was incensed after a Late Night segment in which Meyers had declared, “If anyone dares to say anything less than glowing, Trump loses his s--t.” The president responded by essentially doing just that.
Previous blow-ups over Meyers’ show included Trump’s string of insults against the host in January, when he called him “Marble Mouth Meyers” and “merely a slot filler for the Scum that runs Comcast.”
After Trump’s online meltdown, Meyers went after the president on his show: “What we should be talking about instead is the government shutdown you’re not solving or the food assistance you refuse to fund. Working families are struggling while you renovate your bathroom and you build your ballroom, and that’s why your approval ratings are in the toilet.”
Letterman, who’s frequently traded verbal blows with Trump, including calling him a “big tubby goofball” in September, said he’s “proud” that the new generation of late-night continues to stand up to the Trump administration. Letterman said Tuesday that Trump is “just a wonder of idiocy. It’s just fantastic. It knows no bounds. And it’s never-ending. He’s our dictator. He’s not going anywhere.”
He concluded, referencing Trump’s “Quiet, piggy” insult to a reporter last week, “It’s like 18 times the worst behavior anyone has witnessed, ever, anywhere. And everyone seems fine. Think of the worst thing that you’ve ever seen humans accomplish. This is so much worse.”
