Legendary comedian David Letterman was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Sunday night, CNN is reporting, and he didn’t leave the stage without inserting his opinion on the current political climate in the United States.
“Mark Twain’s definition of patriotism is this: Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it,” Letterman said.
The host, who was the longest-serving in American late-night television, was surrounded by comedy greats including Steve Martin, Bill Murray and late night host Jimmy Kimmel during the ceremony. Kimmel, who has made headlines in recent months for his political commentary, joked that it was Letterman’s fault that late night has turned toward Washington over the last year.
“When Dave left 17 long months ago, we had no idea how much trouble we were in,” Kimmel joked. “I look at what’s going on now and I think this is your [Letterman’s] fault. All of it. Everything was fine until you went off the air. You abandoned us. You went out for a pack of cigarettes and left us to live with an abusive orange stepfather.”
Take a look at the clip above.
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