From witty celebrity interviews to viral sketches, late night TV is usually a source of uproarious comedy. But every once in a while, it produces headlines that are no laughing matter.
The latest example involves Jimmy Kimmel, whose popular show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was indefinitely removed from air following his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a September 15 monologue. After a six-day suspension, which sparked intense debates about the evolution of free speech on screen, ABC parent The Walt Disney Company announced Kimmel will return to his traditional spot on Tuesday night.
“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” Disney said in a statement.
The discord comes only weeks after CBS announced the unexpected cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2026, leaving the long-term futures of two of TV’s biggest hosts in doubt.
However, it’s hardly the first time a late-night show has been at the center of controversy. Here are four other incidents you might have forgotten about.
Jack Paar walks off his show over a censored joke
NBC’s The Tonight Show has been on the air for more than seven decades, with Steve Allen and Jack Paar hosting the program long before Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon manned the desk. During a taping on February 11, 1960, Parr staged a shocking walkout.
The host lamented the network censoring one of his segments the night prior over a joke about a “water closet” (the British slang for toilet). In an emotional address, Parr announced he was leaving The Tonight Show, prompting audible gasps from the audience.
“There must be a better way of making a living than this. There’s a way of entertaining people without being constantly involved in some form of controversy, which is on me all the time,” Paar said. “It’s rough on my wife and child, and I don’t need it.” Parr then walked off the set, leaving announcer Hugh Downs to host the rest of the program.
Despite the act of defiance, it was “NBC’s hope that Jack Paar will reconsider his action and return to the program.” Parr ultimately returned less than a month later on March 7 and expressed remorse for his departure.
“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like Radio City. Leaving the show was a childish and perhaps emotional thing. I have been guilty of such action in the past and will perhaps be again,” he said.
Sinead O’Connor rips up a photo of Pope John Paul II on SNL
Known for its sometimes edgy comedy sketches, Saturday Night Live made headlines in 1992 thanks to its musical guests.
First on January 11, Nirvana band members Kurt Cobain, Kris Novoselic, and Dave Grohl began kissing one another during the show’s closing credits to “piss off the rednecks and homophobes” that might be watching. NBC removed footage of the incident for all later broadcasts.
Later that year on October 3, Irish pop star Sinead O’Connor protested against alleged sexual abuse by the Catholic Church by ripping up a photo of then-Pope John Paul II during her performance of the Bob Marley song “War.”
“Fight the real enemy,” O’Connor said, before throwing the photo pieces and leaving the stage in silence. Over the next two days, NBC received hundreds of phone calls—mostly complaints about the singer’s stunt.
Although executive producer Lorne Michaels insists she wasn’t officially banned, O’Connor was never invited to perform on the show again. “Sinead, I thought was sort of the wrong place for it, I thought her behavior was inappropriate,” Michaels told Spin in 1993. “Because it was difficult to do two comedy sketches after it, and also it was dishonest because she didn’t tell us she was going to do it.”
Michaels later felt differently about the incident, saying he admired the singer’s bravery. O’Connor died in 2023.
Bill Maher loses Politically Incorrect after September 11 comments
Bill Maher has never been afraid to share contrarian opinions—his former show’s title was Politically Incorrect, after all—but his blunt commentary landed him in hot water in 2001.
Just days after the September 11 terror attacks, the comedian made eyebrow-raising comments seemingly criticizing the U.S. government and military to conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza on his show, broadcast by Comedy Central and ABC.
“We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly,” Maher said, responding to comments made by then-President George W. Bush about those who participated in the attacks. “Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.”
Sponsors Sears and FedEx immediately pulled advertisements from the program, and Maher issued an apology. “In no way was I intending to say, nor have I ever thought, that the men and women who defend our nation in uniform are anything but courageous and valiant, and I offer my apologies to anyone who took it wrong,” he said.
Politically Incorrect was canceled soon after, in June 2002. Maher quickly recovered from the gaffe, starting his Emmy-winning show Real Time with Bill Maher the following year on HBO.
David Letterman admits to affairs with staff members during a show
An alleged extortion attempted prompted CBS Late Show host David Letterman, then 62, to address unsavory rumors about his personal life in October 2009.
Letterman, who had married longtime partner Regina Lasko only months earlier, admitted to having affairs with members of his production company, Worldwide Pants, during the show.
“My wife Regina, she has been horribly hurt by my behavior. And when something happens like that, if you hurt a person and it’s your responsibility, you try to fix it,” Letterman told his live audience. “At that point there is only two things that can happen, either you are going to make some progress and get it fixed or you’re gonna fall short and perhaps not get it fixed.”
According to a Worldwide Pants spokesperson, Letterman didn’t violate any company sexual harassment policies and wasn’t disciplined in any way following the admission. Ratings for the Late Show even jumped 38 percent amid the scandal, according to CBS News.
The comedian and Lasko are still married today. Letterman continued to host the Late Show through May 2015 and was succeeded by Colbert upon his retirement.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
