Saturday, May 30, 2026

David Letterman Walks Out on Joan Rivers in Gag, Everyone Takes it Seriously

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Are people really this dumb? On tonight’s Late Show with David Letterman, the host pretends to be affronted and walks out on guest Joan Rivers. CBS released an official clip that got picked up everywhere after 7pm, to promote the Letterman show. Did people really take this seriously? It was a JOKE. It was a GAG. Well, anything to pump up ratings. Joan has promoted her new book with a lot of media savvy, including walking off of CNN in a “huff.” Joan Rivers is a marketing genius, kids. Watch amazon.com and see if it helps sales. What I really think is hilarious is that I’ve known Joan since the 80s, appeared several times on her talk shows, and now her publicist refuses to put her on the phone with me. Joan, if you’re out there, fire her and call me.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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