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David Letterman takes a 'gassy' call from the FCC in resurfaced 'Late Show' sketch

"Look, bud—you can make this easy, or you can make this hard."

david letterman, late show, fcc, jimmy kimmel, free speech

David Letterman has a bizarre phone call with the fake FCC in a classic 'Late Show' sketch.

Photo credit: Screenshots from Letterman YouTube
Ryan Reed
By Ryan ReedSep 20, 2025
Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed is a contributing writer for GOOD residing in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has contributed to Rolling Stone, Relix, Revolver, SPIN and The New York Times.
See Full Bio

David Letterman’s always had impeccable comedic timing, knowing precisely when to elevate an interview or sketch with a bizarre non-sequitur or side-splitting sidebar. But as he proved with a newly resurfaced Late Show bit—a supremely goofy 2013 segment involving a gassy phone call from the "FCC"—he also has expert cultural timing. Amid an ongoing free-speech controversy involving Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC, and the actual FCC, reposting this clip on YouTube scans as social commentary without uttering one new word.

The piece opens with the Late Show host at his desk, surprised by a ringing telephone. After a few one-liners about the size of the device ("That thing’s enormous…This phone is the size of an accordion"), Letterman answers to greet his seemingly disoriented caller. "Ummm, Mr. Lemmerman," a voice stammers. "I’m calling from the Federal Communications Commission. We need you to answer a few questions to renew your talk-show license." The comedian fires back, "How did you get this number? And I’ve never heard of this. And how can I get you off the phone as quickly as possible?"

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"You can make this easy, or you can make this hard"

The banter unfurls from there, as Letterman provides a fake name (he claims to be Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak) and they riff about how to spell "CBS." The call gets more surreal as it winds on: "Hold on, hold on," the caller requests, following a series of loud burps. "My damn computer froze. Grandma, get out of the sink! Last question, can you please tell me that I’m pretty?" After Letterman refuses, the "FCC" official warns, "Look, bud—you can make this easy, or you can make this hard."

That particular line raised some eyebrows in the YouTube and Reddit comments, with many users drawing parallels with remarks made by the real-life FCC chair, Brendan Carr. To recap: On Wednesday, ABC announced the "indefinite" suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show; this followed two station group owners, Nexstar Media Group Inc. and Sinclair, deciding to (at least temporarily) refused to broadcast it.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Real-life FCC controversy

Numerous sources connect the controversy to Kimmel's Monday monologue, in which he said, "the MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." As PBS notes, Carr criticized Kimmel during a podcast appearance, saying, "[W]e can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Reacting to the Letterman video, one YouTube user wrote, "'You can make this easy, or you can make this hard.' Looks like life just imitated art."

Gary Weitman, Nexstar’s chief communications officer, told Variety that pulling Kimmel’s show was unrelated to Carr’s comments. "The decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! was made unilaterally by the senior executive team at Nexstar, and they had no communication with the FCC or any government agency prior to making that decision," he said. Regardless, this whole story has sparked fierce First-Amendment debate, with many major institutions weighing in. "Trump officials are repeatedly abusing their power to stop ideas they don't like, deciding who can speak, write, and even joke," said Christopher Anders, director of the ACLU's Democracy and Technology Division, in a statement.

Letterman also addressed the situation while speaking at a festival for The Atlantic. "[W]e all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media," he said. "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 criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works."

abccomedydavid lettermanfccjimmy kimmellate showsocial commentaryfirst amendmentfree speechtelevision

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