Last night on The Late Show, David Letterman said that Gov. Sarah Palin had called him “pathetic” for making jokes about her and one of her daughters. “I haven’t been called pathetic once since [my] honeymoon,” he joked. “This very well could be my last show,” he said, as though the controversy was making him an endangered species. “Oh, great,” he said. “I pissed off a hunter.” The Late Show host responded to accusations by Gov. Sarah Palin that he had made inappropriate jokes about her and her family in his Monday-night Top Ten List. Here’s what he said last night in his semi-defense:
To Palin’s accusations that he was making a joke about “raping” one of her daughters, let’s go to the text: Letterman’s self-admittedly “ugly” joke was that 18-year-old Bristol was “knocked up” by baseball’s Alex Rodriguez. That phrase doesn’t carry the implication of forced sex. I mean, I didn’t hear that association applied to the title of the Judd Apatow movie Knocked Up, did you? (And: “Where’s Alex Rodriguez’s [complaint]?” he asked parenthetically.)
But of course, breaking down any joke into serious, word-for-word analysis misses the spirit and context in which it was told. Letterman said he knew they were “cheap laughs” he was going for; in his usual self-deprecating way, he noted that’s what he’s been doing “for 35 years.” As for his joke about Palin’s “slutty-flight-attendant look,” he said unrepentantly, “I kinda like that joke.”
“I mean, look at me,” he said, facing the camera directly. “I would never, never make jokes about raping.”
It seems absurd to have to say this, after all the years we’ve all spent seeing what an interesting, complex, funny man Letterman is, but here it is anyway: I believe him.
Then later Kathy Griffin came out and, with typical bluntness, said blithely that Palin is “a moron” and her husband Todd “a tool.” “But that’s just my opinion,” she said. Jokes and opinions: what trouble-makers.
Did you watch The Late Show last night? What did you think of Letterman’s response to Palin’s accusations? Do you think Sarah Palin should accept Dave’s invitation to appear on his show?
For more on the Letterman-Palin controversy:
David Letterman responds to flap over Sarah Palin jokes.
Comments (1-30) of 860 Add your comment
Maybe its just me, but when Palin responds to every little thing that involves her, she loses more and more credibility with me – and she didn’t have a hell of a lot to begin with. Turn off the RSS feed, Sarah.
I’m not a Republican, but if I were, I’d be praying that someone like Mitt Romney who hasn’t felt the need to be a massive tool like Palin, Limbaugh, Cheney, Fox News, etc., would begin stepping up and representing my party as something people could get behind.
Kathy Griffin … really?!? She’s trying to make her (d-list) self relevant to an A-list personality like David Letterman.
I like Sarah Palin, but she should have ignored Letterman like Oprah did for all those years.
Letterman is on a tirade, and his candidate won… Dementia setting in?
Didn’t see it, but they both have a point. Palin as a public figure is lightning rod for jokes and ridicule (and she should have known that going into politics in the first place) however, her family are not public figures, only public figures by default. Interesting how people will bask in the spotlight when it’s complimentary, but complain when the same spotlight shows their “cracks”.
The problem is that the only daughter at the game was the 14 year old. He said her daughter got knocked up at the game. Not that I think the joke gets betetr by saying, no I meant the 18 year old not the 14 year old.
Not funny either way. Whether I believe him or not, I think that he should have given a more sincere apology.
You need to follow up on the details.
Palin was in town with her 14 year old daughter, not the 18 y.o.
Second, Palin was in town for an autism fundraiser, and dirty old man Letterman is ripping on her kids?
You people are so desperate for a laugh that you’ll stoop to anything.
Taking on an admitted clown, versus the unadmitted kind like Rush and Hannity, only lowers Palin’s status. Has she forgotten what Dan Quayle got for “going after” Murphy Brown? It just makes her look silly and petty.
Letterman’s awesome and Palin’s a joke. What’s the phrase I’m looking for here? Ah yes – Palin=Attention Hoar (misspelling intentional). She’s attained her spot in the public eye by marketing herself and her family as laughable rubes. She will never be taken seriously in the political arena. I’m waiting for her to show up on Surreal Life. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Even though nowadays in politics it’s hard to find role models when it comes to moral principles and virtues, we must admit women politicians are always on the covers of fashion or diet magazines. I have read on http://www.projectweightloss.com Sarah Palin’s athletic side. Her diet includes moose, caribou, seafood and fresh fruit.
Letterman’s explanation of the Palin ‘joke’ seemed awkward and forced. The ‘joke’ itself wasn’t funny, and was in poor taste, regardless of which Palin daughter he was referring to. Let’s imagine the same ‘joke’ applied to one of Obama’s daughters and guess what the reaction would have been. When an ‘entertainer’ starts using this kind of material, he’s desperate.
I notice how Dave deftly avoided the Governor’s point that it was 14-year-old Willow that was present at the ball game, not 18-year-old Bristol. A 14-year-old shouldn’t be fair game, but since she’s the daughter of a Republican politician, I guess she is. And if the shrill Kathy Griffin wants to see a tool, she should go find the nearest mirror.
I find it funny that Jamie Foxx and David Letterman can make completely ridiculous remarks and it is ok, while we tar and feather Don Imus for the same cheap gags.
Never liked David L. He should just get off the show and go fishing.
never liked him (DL) or thought he would last that long with his dry pathetic jokes.
What do David Letterman and George Tiller have in common? They both like to rip mothers and harm their helpless innocent children.
I hope someday that nasty jokes will be reversed to David Letterman’s son and wonder how he’ll react to that?
Palin is absolutely correct – if this had been a comment by Rush, or Hannity or some other conservative about Clinton’s daughter when she was a teen, or about Obama’s daughter when she’s a teen . . . OMG! The outrage and the demands for retractions and apologies would be endless from the feminists and the liberal media. You folks are so bloody two faced that you lose ALL credibility. Unbelieveable!!! Though in fact it is just par for the course. Disgusting! Dave should have issued a sincere apology.
Right now Letterman is terrified that Conan is going to clobber him like Leno did for 20 years. He’s so obsessed with his ratings that he’ll do anything to boost them, even attacking the daughters of politicians, which is absolutely repulsive. I still remember when Mike Meyers insulted Chelsea Clinton on SNL – politicians’ kids should be off limits, PERIOD, unless they have become public figures in their own right.
I used to be Letterman’s biggest fan, but I can’t even watch him anymore, he’s become such a tool.
It was a joke people – a friggin’ joke! Palin and the other kool-aid drinkers need to get over it.
**Correction**
A “tool” is someone who screws something up, oh wait, Alaska has no income tax, they give each citizen a check every year, not taxing everyone every year. As for limbaugh, he is the highest rated talk show host in the country. Fox News? Pretending that that is even relevant, it’s #1 in primetime news. Sounds like someone needs to back off, jealousy is dangerous.
Palin IS THE JOKE>>>There’s no need to joke about her. “I can see russia from my doorstep” has forever fixed her place as the foremost right-wing power-fixated, xenophobic moron (ty Kathy) in America. And Todd’s a tool.
oh david letterman is still on? i was busy watching conan. i thought they canceled letterman about 15 years ago.
hey “RedDragon”
Kool-Aid drinkers?
Right, because those who think dirty jokes are…well…dirty, that makes them “kool-aid” drinkers? Sounds a lot like a little thing we “kool-aid” drinkers call common sense, but hey, i wouldn’t expect you to know what that is.
I’m sure His Bosses up at G.E. are going to appreciate these jokes as funny too.
This is truly pathetic. Comedy used to be a about something more, an as public figures Sarah & Todd Palin are fair game. BUT-and this is something so few people recognize-there is no excuse to call someone a slut, a moron, or a tool. Look up “ad hominem” sometime. Then, maybe you’ll realize the Palins & other public figures should be criticized (with humor) in an intelligent way.
Letterman enjoys demeaning women. Period. Look at his wife.
It was a joke people. Get over it. But the bigger joke is Sarah Palin herself. I still don’t understand how such a ditz-brained, gun-toting, take-my-civil-liberties-way-from-me MORON could claw her way up to the level of vice presidential nominee. I was thanking my lucky stars I was not a republican this past election. Embarrassment does not even begin to cover it. She should just keep to watching Russia from her backyard. There’s some national security for ya! Dick Cheney would be proud.
The Palin’s are secretly thanking Dave in their prayers every night. They get to be on the news, being outraged, publicity-never a bad thing.
KEN TUCKER — I’m sure you do believe Letterman. You’re a guy. It should have been your daughter that was the butt of the joke. The real tool here is you, for using your column to excuse his behavior.
I remember a time when Dave stood up to Howard Stern when Stern tried to make a joke about the OJ murder victims. Now he has come to this. The original joke was tasteless and his response is gutless. Completely gutless.