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David Letterman crowns Jimmy Kimmel 'the leader of the resistance,' calls Trump a 'fool'

Former "Late Show" host David letterman appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday, where he named host Jimmy Kimmel "the leader of the resistance" against President Donald Trump.

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Former "Late Show" host David Letterman appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday, where he crowned Kimmel "the leader of the resistance" against President Donald Trump, whom he later called a "fool."

"People are aware of the fact that you are the leader of the resistance?" Letterman asked Kimmel, who lightheartedly replied that he is "the totally ineffective leader of the resistance."

The former "Late Show" host then jokingly asked whether the show would be televised tonight, adding that he "can never keep track with [Kimmel] getting yanked off" the air — poking fun at the host's temporary suspension in September.

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David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel on the set of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Screenshot/ABC)

ABC and its parent company, Disney, pulled "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in September following the backlash the late-night host received for suggesting that the suspected murderer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, was a Trump supporter.

Kimmel returned to the airwaves the following week and said he had never meant to make light of anyone's death or give a false impression.

On his show last month, Kimmel claimed that Trump "tried to get me fired in September" but the effort failed. He joked that he admired the president's "tenacity" in trying to get him removed.

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Continuing their discussion, Letterman went on to criticize how "the leader of the free world" should expect to be treated when behaving foolishly, making a pointed reference to Trump.

Letterman has been a staunch critic of President Trump throughout his two terms in the Oval Office. (Brent N. Clarke/Getty; Roberto Schmidt/Getty)

"I’m going to suck up to you because I feel like if I kind of tag along with you, I’ll be glorified in retrospect... Now, this is irrespective of the party or political ideology, irrespective of party or political ideology. If the leader of the free world is a fool, the leader of the free world then should expect and examine every bit of ridicule he receives," he asserted. "Irrespective! You see how that makes me look good."

"It does make you look good," Kimmel replied. "Well, if I’ve done anything right, I definitely learned it from you."

Letterman also congratulated Kimmel on his recent contract extension.

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Fox News Digital has confirmed that ABC will be renewing the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host's contract into 2027.

Jimmy Kimmel, host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" during the show on September 23, 2025.? (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)

Bloomberg was first to reportKimmel's contract extension.

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Fox News' Gabriel Hays and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.