Dave hadn't been at CBS for very long so maybe at the time he was afraid that he would get fired if pro-life groups got pissed at CBS. It shows that Letterman pussied out but I think he's a sincere person for the most part (a good example of his sincerity is his post-9/11 show).
This is synister that evil fucking bastard is basically dancing on his grave in front of his mother in this show reminded her that Hicks was pulled out fucking corporate whore and also 17 years later he is basically saying let me clear my consious to make me look like the good guy
It was extremely callous and single-minded of Letterman to pull Hicks' performance back in 94 but his apology seems genuine and getting Bill's mother on to apologise directly to her on air is the closest thing he could have to recifying the mistake he made.
@88Anesthetize well ye but it still doesn't make up for the fact that he as Bill used to say "SUCKS SATANS COOOOOOCK" and is a corporate piece of shit cunt that thinks only about his rating.. the man is after all a show host not a activist but still removing the 6 min act was cheap and bullshit
do american audiences just feel like they are obliged to laugh or applaud after every line? I mean nothing he was saying here was supposed to be funny
@tylerdurden2006 media conditioning/programming...the sound of letterman speaking elicits laughter every so often regardless of meaning...our brains are highly succeptible to suggestion, and the people laughing are likely to also buy what they're programmed to buy, form attitudes and beliefs as programmed, speak and act as programmed. "Programming" means exactly that. Your TV programs have profound effects on your brain. This is a fascinating TV moment for many reasons, however.
They approved and reapproved his routine but the Letterman show deemed in unsuitable, saying he hit certain "hot points" that "the Letterman audience would become upset with hearing". Or something along those lines...I remember hearing Bill talk about it.
@klc9909 Yup, there are always a certain percentage of moronic sheep in any late show audience who are unable to decipher what is and is not meant to be funny.
DL is reading notes. Pathetic. Possibly the most insincere thing I've ever seen. Ask your grandkids to check who talks about Letterman and who talks about Bill Hicks in 100 years... It's just a ride.
swear to god late show crowds are always stoned. they laugh at anything and everything, even when someone's trying to be serious. new york must be a funny place.
Pretty pathetic that so many people here are complaining about Letterman.. yeah he made a mistake and he's admitted it and apologised, everyone of us has made mistakes, there's no doubt about that.. I think Lettermans done the right thing here and he's a big man for admitting that he was in the wrong.
@DMenase24 just shows how right Bill Hicks was about us - we Americans are numb to emotion and haven't the ability to listen to what is actually being said----that's what the govt counts on --- Bill Hicks has proven his point even in this segment and apology from Letterman was initially thought to be a joke...laughter was the lemming reaction we have all been taught via the media and propaganda. I am a Bill fan so the laughter was shocking and the point of Bills comedy. He had to be there tha
Bill Hicks helped wake me up. He would blow away all you fools that laugh at Alex Jones. Alex Jones and Bill would of agreed on almost as many things as they would of disagreed on.
"We always loved Bill, he was tremendously funny and had great energy and we just got a big kick out of him." Yes, I'll bett. You got a big kick out of censuring him and blackballing him. And this episode would never air if it weren't for the pressure the show got from all over the world when Bill stated the facts. Douchebag.
never seen letterman being so serious his voice was quavering even, took a while but i got new respect for letterman. i am outside of the US we always "got" bill and what could be considered inflammatory material
Not to worry, David - we in the UK got Bill and we still do and more people are still discovering him every year. So your "too little too late" apology means precisely nothing to UK fans and I doubt very much it means anything to Bill's American fans, who are also growing in number with each passing year. And that's what matters in the long run, David - Bill will always be remembered as one of the greats, alongside Carlin and Pryor. You will not.
Tis easy to claim responsibility over the censorship fuck up, which Letterman so adamantly denied, now that Hicks is gone. Bill pinpoints America, tells them they're stupid til they go numb, then slaps them in the face and goes home. What a genius.
Tis easy to claim responsibility over the censorship fuck up, which Letterman so adamantly denied, now that Hicks is gone. Bill pinpoints America, tells them they're stupid til they go numb and then slaps them in the face and goes home. What a genius.
Letterman cut the segment the same year that Bill Clinton used the ridiculous "I didn't inhale" excuse because it could have damaged his election campaign. Finally airing the sketch says as much about how we have changed as it does about Letterman, for anyone eager to hate on him.
@StarFruitLDB Or perhaps Letterman chose to pull it just as he said himself, but blamed it on the higher ups instead of having the guts to admit what he had done. I understand you're simply repeating the story as Bill himself knew it, but then again, it's apparent Letterman and his staff are liars anyway, and Bill was probably just repeating a lie that was told to him. Only a handful of people know the real truth, but we can all agree that it's just a bunch of ridiculousness any way you slice it
The ones i really dislike in this clip are the audience. They didn't clap when his name was mentioned and even had the audacity to laugh when Letterman was making a genuine statement about Hicks. No respect. No class. Disgusting.
Piece of shit, only apologized cause anyone who knows bill knows your a scum fuck who supported none of his ideas and stood for nothing. Only goal in life and career are ratings.
Oh what utter bull shit, Letterman you don't really give a fuck.
The only reason you had this "realization" is because Bill Hicks DIED, and in our culture that means suddenly you have to reverse any negative opinion of the deceased. You did it because that's what your cultural programming TOLD YOU TO DO.
If Bill went on to live a long life you would never have reversed that decision, I give him credit for at least admitting he was wrong, and it was his responsibility.
Letterman sold out when he initially allowed some of Bills performance to be cut. 15 years later though, I guess we should give him some credit for admitting it was a mistake. Some redemption there, no?
Also, as for the commenter who said that "after they're dead they embrace them as one of they're own, slightly changing the essence of that person,limiting the threat of that persons message reaching the mass public"...well, I agree with you in general there buddy, but I don't think it applies here. Letterman interviewed the man's own mother and then aired the banned monologue uncensored. What more do you want from him exactly?
OK, so I'm just about as cynical as it gets but I don't understand all the hating on Letterman here. Bill Hicks is a hero of mine and I'm no Letterman fan, but it did take guts for him to admit he fucked up, no matter what you think of it.
Bill Hicks was a great man. And I think it wouldn't be his wish for us to question Letterman's sincere feelings about his decision in the past. So please stop the hating comments about Letterman, just imagine that he was really sorry. If you always think the worst of people, the ride is no fun :(
Wow, it only took 15 years for David Letterman to realize he made this mistake...and after Bill died...you sure are some sort of something Letterman, and it has nothing to do with growing wiser
id like to see the MSM play some of his bits about the evils of the american empire, the mind control of the masses, and his messages of love as the solution. Just like MLK's speeches against the vietnam war and expressing solidairty with the vietnamese people, and jesus' preachings against the rule of the roman empire and their puppet regime in palistinia....the powers that be are trying to erase them from history
Fucking hell they do this with every iconoclast, every truth teller, every great man. When they're alive they fear what they have to say, but after they're dead they embrace them as one of they're own, slightly changing the essence of that person,limiting the threat of that persons message reaching the mass public. Every revolutionary figure, Dickens, M.L.K. ( I mean did you see that Glenn Beck Bullshit) and Hicks slowly get woven in to the official narrative of history. Makes me fucking sick!
I used to like David Letterman, but it seems as if he's apologizing a lot for a lot of things now a days and his apologies don't even look a slight bit sincere, otherwise he wouldn't had to read what he just said, which was like only 2 minutes.
I think when David says around a minute in he was wrong to remove Bill's standup, he is being partly sincere, and it sucks that the audience is fucking laughing at that, laughing at Bill. Maybe he's not, but it sounds like he is partly meaning it.
Even when David is trying to be serious the crowd still laughs.......it's not funny....why laugh. Probably because Letterman is always being a cheeseball, he can never be seen as genuine.
@Kariraa Agreed...but I wonder if they were even aware of who Bill Hicks was and the fact that he had passed away at all. I think if they'd known that they wouldn't have found Letterman's - should we call it an apology? - so giggle worthy.
@Kariraa Probably because the audience are so clueless that when he introduces the segment they 1) do not know who Bill Hicks is; and 2) do not he died so young. But that's clueless America for you...remember the audience is mostly tourist from other parts of the US who are in town for a few days and line up for ages to catch a ticket. They don't Bill Hicks from their own elbow
@Kariraa I don't understand the audience either. They're worse then a laugh track. At least a laugh track doesn't laugh when they're being serious. Apparently if any words come out of his mouth, they laugh.
Letterman doesn't have any REGRET about what he did...he WANTS everyone in the country to know that his pathetic, self-loathing, egomaniacal self gets PUSSY from his (YUCK!) staff. He only regrets, like every othe criminal, that he got CAUGHT being a shallow, self-absorbed, abusive fuck.
@alexeyre If Letterman had no regret, he wouldn't have run a 15-year-old bit from a now legendary comedian and social critic. So...you see how that works? What he has done with his penis is hardly relevant to this video and tribute to the late great Bill Hicks. But you obviously have an issue there, so I'd recommend blogspot or wordpress as tools for you to purge your little self.
it's clear that Letterman feels a deep regret for what he did. He knows that censoring Hicks' act that night dealt a powerful blow to his career, and to top it all off, the guy had terminal cancer. Letterman almost looked on the verge of tears at times.
@zapproowsdower What people forget here is that David had not been at CBS for very long (2 months) when Bill Hicks did this episode. I was uspet to learn the segment got cut, I don't know why David and CBS made the decision but the point is he did apologize and he seemed very upset about what happened. We got to see Bill Hicks' peformance and it was fantastic. What I always like about David is when he fucks up he apoligizes. Many people in the media won't. To those who are still pissed, Grow Up!
What a hypocrite. Lets remember the great Bill Hicks on a show that banned his comedy. I can hear Bill turning in his grave..."Fucking Corporate shills"....
You know what, I don't think Letterman was right to do what he did. It was for money, but more specifically than that it was the pride he took in his very, very prestigious job. Top host on TV, and an actual funny and entertaining one at that. He ain't perfect but still, I believe he truly is sorry and regretful as he has constantly mentioned in many facets of the media. This does not pardon him, but I believe that it does put some bad energy good now that he is trying to respectfully apologise.
@theagrafiotis I haven't searched for that, but I started to suspect he was killed when I read about the use of microwaves on the population at large.
Lman u don't think outside the box like Hicks. now you're sorry cause u know u sucked up to TV sponsors like the superficial corporate slime ball u are fucking all your female staff & telling corney jokes. The only reason I watch u late night is cause the only other choice TV allow me are sponsored ads like demtel that go for half an hour with hypocrites saying how wonderful some huge ball is between their thighs so I turn over to u :) a man with no balls to risk creative controversial thought.
You can tell the crowd as no idea who Bill Hicks was. What a bunch of sheep listening to this "comedian".
An by the way David, you mentioned you came to this new insight as you've grown older and wiser. It took you 62 years of growing up to finaly understand what Bill understood when you was 30? Well, i guess that elloquently pictures the difference between you two. In class, in insight and in talent.
Bill Hick was and still is miles ahead of anybody out there.
@sergiogd86 lol so true, see dave's face when he said that too? He knows exactly why he removed it, he thought it would offend the advertiser in the break,
Why did Paul seem so suprised that Bill had died? (1:30) How did he NOT know that? The guy was one of thew biggest comedians out there! Was he living under a rock?
for those of you fortunate enough to see the film "American: Bill Hicks Story," if Bill's brother is in attendance, ask him about his mother's appearance on Letterman's show ( I had a chance to speak to him after the screening here up North). Those who are lavishly praising Letterman for this 'kind' gesture, think again.
Bill's brother gave the impression that he was really upset that Letterman's production company would charge the makers of the Hicks doc a couple hundred thousand (allegedly) for the right to use Hick's appearances on Letterman for the Bill Hicks doc. Bill's brother said to me that if he was genuine in his praise for his brother, and sincerely regretted his censoring, then he would give the clip to the production company in good faith (pro bono), not passing along a bill
Also, Bill's brother gave me the impression that having his mother on the show was merely pandering to the show's female demographic in the wake of Letterman's intern sex scandal, not a genuine act of regret.
Bill's brother relayed the idea that he believed Letterman got wind of this documetnary being made, and made a pre-emptive choice to go on the offensive
@THISUTUBESUCKS Thanks alot for taking the time to reply to me over that. Its a damn shame that there has to be such greasy Machievellian scheming and spinning over this event. I guess you dont get to be a DL (or president, or PM, or anything in the top elite of a field) without knowing how to spin, backstab, and claw your way to the top. But we know why he had it cancelled, the suits told him to. Anyway, I really appreciate your post there. Thank you.
In the words of John Lennon, "There's room at the top they're telling you still. But first you must learn how to smile as you kill if you want to be like the folks on the hill. But a worlking class hero (like Bill Hicks) is still something to be."
@THISUTUBESUCKS Forgive me for not getting this, but I just want to understand what Steve Hicks told you. He said that Worldwide Pants invoiced HIM for footage of Bill's Letterman spot/s or or they charged the producers of 'American'?
@spaceoreo No prob, and I apologize for not being clear. I got the impression that the doc makers, not Mr. Hicks himself, would be charged if they used Bil's Late Show appearance in the film. Bills' bro got wind of this through the film makers, and was furious that Worldwide Pants, under the direction of David Letterman, would send a bill to them.
@THISUTUBESUCKS Mrs Hicks appeared on the show in late Jan last year. The 'sex scandal' was in October. Unless I missed something you posted, I don't know how this stands up.
@spaceoreo I understand that, and I thought about that too after the fact.
Once again, I'm only going by what Bill's bro told me. I got the impression that he believed having his mother on the show was merely pandering to the show's female demographic. He mentioned Letterman's sex scandal. I didn't think it was appropriate to say: "But...his mom was on a year before the sex scandal." To me, he seemed to be genuinely furious, and I didn't think it would be right for me to question his anger.
@spaceoreo Of course we can argue in favor of Letterman being a businessman and protecting his intellectual property. The film probably is going to be distributed worldwide and matters of rights and clearances are a serious issue -- remember the Tom Brokaw Top 10 List joke on Late Show episode #1?
@spaceoreo Obviously, there's more under the surface that we know of; it`s not just an invoice. No one really knows what the censoring of that appearance did to Bill or Bill's family. Nobody really knows what Bill said to his bro about Letterman in private. However, when I spoke to Mr. Hicks it was clear he had strong feelings about Letterman. I think that invoice was just a catalyst in rekindling passions that have never faded away, and that ultimately, we`ll never really know about.
@THISUTUBESUCKS It's interesting to know a little of the family's perspective. I imagine if the Hicks family had asked for the footage on the film-makers' behalf things might not have been so $-focused. Who knows? By all accounts I've read Bill was crushed at having the segment pulled &, having been close by as a brother died I can understand the Hicks family not being kindly disposed towards Letterman. But Mrs Hicks was very gracious. We could take her cue.
It's too bad Letterman didn't do this when Bill Hicks was alive, but he still impressed me with his apology and giving so much time to Bill and his mom.
The audience's laughter here is a little unsettling, to be honest. Still, I think it was a classy move on Dave's part and he went about it exactly the right way, showing the original footage and taking responsibility for what happened.
Good for you, Dave. Huge Hicks fan, the man inspired an embittered, younger me to not take life so seriously, and I've been more optimistic ever since. Glad you tried to make amends. :)
the voice that letterman is talking to is the leader of his tv band, is it? Because to me it almost sounds a bit like a bored Hicks. And I really shouldn't have said that because it's an offence that I dont really want to give Bill Hicks, but hey.
I miss Bill Hicks so much. Such a shame he died so young. Just further proves his point of how good people die first and the demons run amok. Sure he wasn't murdered...but he was a voice of reason.
@BlackestRose64 Yeah sure definitely I would say. He was intelligent, perceptive and philosophical. It's just a real shame Letterman didn't do this before he died.
if youve watched the end of this then youll see how ashamed letterman seems. it takes guts to go and eat humble pie on national television, i respect him for it even if it was lame that it got taken off originally.
It took David a long time to do it. But I respect the man for this.
It's one thing to just give a platitude apology, it's another to apologize and fix it as much as you can by somewhat undoing what you did.
If he still refused to show the clip the apology would of been fake, but he has decided to show it, and you know as well as I did he probably caught hell from some chump in some department over it but chose to do it anyway.
@jabre12 Thank you!!! I remember Bill Hicks used to mock his audiance calling them sheep when they did not like it. Bill Hicks was a genius by making people think for themselves and realizing the world that is out there and how crazy it is. I cannot beileve Dave's audiance was laughing while he is trying to be serious.
Dave hadn't been at CBS for very long so maybe at the time he was afraid that he would get fired if pro-life groups got pissed at CBS. It shows that Letterman pussied out but I think he's a sincere person for the most part (a good example of his sincerity is his post-9/11 show).
abehammy 7 hours ago
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down
But wait...
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around and say..
That it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
Makr0Bit 3 days ago
why on earth are people hating on letterman for this?
do you guys not understand that this happens constantly to everyone all the damn time??
Lumpycpu 6 days ago
Fuck you, Dave. This apology is like 16 years too late.
ciaobellakate 1 week ago
This is synister that evil fucking bastard is basically dancing on his grave in front of his mother in this show reminded her that Hicks was pulled out fucking corporate whore and also 17 years later he is basically saying let me clear my consious to make me look like the good guy
libertarianable 1 week ago
YEA.... SURE... FUCK YOU LETTERMAN FUCK YOU FUCKING CORPORATE CUNT "I DONT KNOW WHY I DONT KNOW WHY" YOU FUCKING LYING PIECE OF SHIT!
ashman9992 1 week ago
It was extremely callous and single-minded of Letterman to pull Hicks' performance back in 94 but his apology seems genuine and getting Bill's mother on to apologise directly to her on air is the closest thing he could have to recifying the mistake he made.
88Anesthetize 1 month ago
@88Anesthetize well ye but it still doesn't make up for the fact that he as Bill used to say "SUCKS SATANS COOOOOOCK" and is a corporate piece of shit cunt that thinks only about his rating.. the man is after all a show host not a activist but still removing the 6 min act was cheap and bullshit
ashman9992 1 week ago
At least he is apologizing
JohnWayneDimmick 1 month ago
Why are these mindless tits in the audience laughing?
twelvestreets 1 month ago
do american audiences just feel like they are obliged to laugh or applaud after every line? I mean nothing he was saying here was supposed to be funny
tylerdurden2006 2 months ago in playlist More videos from justrightstuff
@tylerdurden2006 media conditioning/programming...the sound of letterman speaking elicits laughter every so often regardless of meaning...our brains are highly succeptible to suggestion, and the people laughing are likely to also buy what they're programmed to buy, form attitudes and beliefs as programmed, speak and act as programmed. "Programming" means exactly that. Your TV programs have profound effects on your brain. This is a fascinating TV moment for many reasons, however.
foilseal 1 month ago
this segment wouldnt have meant anything. bill wouldve been on top of the comedy bill if he was alive today, he is anyway in death
ALFEYGA 2 months ago
They approved and reapproved his routine but the Letterman show deemed in unsuitable, saying he hit certain "hot points" that "the Letterman audience would become upset with hearing". Or something along those lines...I remember hearing Bill talk about it.
LucidDream 2 months ago
oct 1st 1993.. THATS MY BIRTHDAY. ha. thats the day letterman said hicks did his stand up on his show that he removed part of.
newrealization12 3 months ago
Well, better late than never.................
BluesYourAss 3 months ago
seriously... wtf is up with all the laughing?! how is letterman being fuckin funny in this segment??
klc9909 3 months ago 2
@klc9909 Yup, there are always a certain percentage of moronic sheep in any late show audience who are unable to decipher what is and is not meant to be funny.
77bogart 2 months ago
@77bogart They aren't morons. Their brains are experiencing a moment of delusion.
foilseal 1 month ago
@77bogart moronic sheep is right. sad.
awwwyeaboyeeee 1 month ago
He shouldn't have released this video....Dennis Leary might start using the material on his next unfunny HBO special...
keerkhor 4 months ago 2
why people laughs? just a lack of understanding?
woshushe 4 months ago
DL is reading notes. Pathetic. Possibly the most insincere thing I've ever seen. Ask your grandkids to check who talks about Letterman and who talks about Bill Hicks in 100 years... It's just a ride.
PeterLachaise 5 months ago
Appologised after the man died. A bitt of "too little, too fucking late" imo.
Prka01 5 months ago 2
swear to god late show crowds are always stoned. they laugh at anything and everything, even when someone's trying to be serious. new york must be a funny place.
myboomstick 5 months ago
@myboomstick not stoned...because if they were stoned, they'd realize how canned the shows really are...more like mindlessly obsequious
BrewToob 5 months ago
Comment removed
JonasLikesDonuts 5 months ago
meh. i'm not convinced.
daiellis 5 months ago
so contrived.
freqeist 5 months ago
Pretty pathetic that so many people here are complaining about Letterman.. yeah he made a mistake and he's admitted it and apologised, everyone of us has made mistakes, there's no doubt about that.. I think Lettermans done the right thing here and he's a big man for admitting that he was in the wrong.
karl198 6 months ago
Comment removed
BrewToob 5 months ago
@DMenase24 just shows how right Bill Hicks was about us - we Americans are numb to emotion and haven't the ability to listen to what is actually being said----that's what the govt counts on --- Bill Hicks has proven his point even in this segment and apology from Letterman was initially thought to be a joke...laughter was the lemming reaction we have all been taught via the media and propaganda. I am a Bill fan so the laughter was shocking and the point of Bills comedy. He had to be there tha
dakota521 6 months ago
Bill Hicks helped wake me up. He would blow away all you fools that laugh at Alex Jones. Alex Jones and Bill would of agreed on almost as many things as they would of disagreed on.
ToolFan68 6 months ago
Letterman is sincere
themooddisorders 6 months ago
This was almost a classy move by Letterman. What's missing is an honest explanation of why Hicks was censored. For the pro life material.
TS0625 7 months ago
@TS0625 agreed
freqeist 5 months ago
"We always loved Bill, he was tremendously funny and had great energy and we just got a big kick out of him." Yes, I'll bett. You got a big kick out of censuring him and blackballing him. And this episode would never air if it weren't for the pressure the show got from all over the world when Bill stated the facts. Douchebag.
Prka01 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Prka01 But he still did it.
wandarah 7 months ago
@Prka01 Dude, he apologised and accepted what he did
NightXemnas 5 months ago
never seen letterman being so serious his voice was quavering even, took a while but i got new respect for letterman. i am outside of the US we always "got" bill and what could be considered inflammatory material
NaganMac 8 months ago
Not to worry, David - we in the UK got Bill and we still do and more people are still discovering him every year. So your "too little too late" apology means precisely nothing to UK fans and I doubt very much it means anything to Bill's American fans, who are also growing in number with each passing year. And that's what matters in the long run, David - Bill will always be remembered as one of the greats, alongside Carlin and Pryor. You will not.
ComradeRichey 9 months ago 8
Tis easy to claim responsibility over the censorship fuck up, which Letterman so adamantly denied, now that Hicks is gone. Bill pinpoints America, tells them they're stupid til they go numb, then slaps them in the face and goes home. What a genius.
Libbyaroha 9 months ago
Tis easy to claim responsibility over the censorship fuck up, which Letterman so adamantly denied, now that Hicks is gone. Bill pinpoints America, tells them they're stupid til they go numb and then slaps them in the face and goes home. What a genius.
Libbyaroha 9 months ago
Letterman cut the segment the same year that Bill Clinton used the ridiculous "I didn't inhale" excuse because it could have damaged his election campaign. Finally airing the sketch says as much about how we have changed as it does about Letterman, for anyone eager to hate on him.
squamish4244 9 months ago
Wow...david letterman has gained my respect now. Very nice thing for him to do.
happyhazelnut 9 months ago 2
it was not killing that Wahlberg asshole but Bill on the D Letterman show that was necessary to restore the balance of the universe
piortus 11 months ago
Why the fuck are people laughing?
DMenase24 11 months ago 2
@DMenase24 ignorance is taking over. dumbfucks in the audience probably have no idea who bill hicks was and what he stood for.
iamyoyoyodude45 11 months ago
Damn... I'M 32. that is fuckin sad.
ThePassiveFist 11 months ago
@Vaudeviller Well say my friend! Grettings from Chile!
jotadrum 11 months ago
@StarFruitLDB Or perhaps Letterman chose to pull it just as he said himself, but blamed it on the higher ups instead of having the guts to admit what he had done. I understand you're simply repeating the story as Bill himself knew it, but then again, it's apparent Letterman and his staff are liars anyway, and Bill was probably just repeating a lie that was told to him. Only a handful of people know the real truth, but we can all agree that it's just a bunch of ridiculousness any way you slice it
Cinj216 1 year ago
The ones i really dislike in this clip are the audience. They didn't clap when his name was mentioned and even had the audacity to laugh when Letterman was making a genuine statement about Hicks. No respect. No class. Disgusting.
Leprechaun06 1 year ago 2
not a huge fan of his material, but class act for letterman to do this.
wikkles 1 year ago
Piece of shit, only apologized cause anyone who knows bill knows your a scum fuck who supported none of his ideas and stood for nothing. Only goal in life and career are ratings.
jeffehdad 1 year ago
@jeffehdad i think he knows better now
izaccy 11 months ago
Very nice that he takes responsibility, doesn't try to deflect it onto someone else because it's a sad story. You're a good man Mr. Letterman
agazahat 1 year ago
Scarily obvious that CBS made David take the fall..
yokey0ma0bob 1 year ago
@StarFruitLDB You nailed it. Letterman lied. Wonder if Robert Morton put him up to it or if Letterman took it upon himself.
kevhead66 1 year ago
Mr. Letterman, you are a gentleman. Because only a gentleman can admit his mistakes.
LS7335 1 year ago 6
Mr. Letterman, you are a gentleman
LS7335 1 year ago
Oh what utter bull shit, Letterman you don't really give a fuck.
The only reason you had this "realization" is because Bill Hicks DIED, and in our culture that means suddenly you have to reverse any negative opinion of the deceased. You did it because that's what your cultural programming TOLD YOU TO DO.
If Bill went on to live a long life you would never have reversed that decision, I give him credit for at least admitting he was wrong, and it was his responsibility.
Sacredor 1 year ago
Letterman mentions Bill's name, not one member of the audience reacts, cheers or claps. Disgraceful. What's up with you America?
alexkx3 1 year ago
Letterman sold out when he initially allowed some of Bills performance to be cut. 15 years later though, I guess we should give him some credit for admitting it was a mistake. Some redemption there, no?
jwgacyful 1 year ago
IDKY= I shit my pants when angry people write letters and my balls are this big .. compared to Bills 00
paradoxfox93 1 year ago
What is the audience laughing at? Do they just go with the intention to laugh regardless of what is said?
"It was an error of judgment on my part."
HAHAHAHAHA
borjon23 1 year ago 5
@borjon23 my thoughts exactly
vladamirrrr 1 year ago
Also, as for the commenter who said that "after they're dead they embrace them as one of they're own, slightly changing the essence of that person,limiting the threat of that persons message reaching the mass public"...well, I agree with you in general there buddy, but I don't think it applies here. Letterman interviewed the man's own mother and then aired the banned monologue uncensored. What more do you want from him exactly?
spirobrewer 1 year ago
OK, so I'm just about as cynical as it gets but I don't understand all the hating on Letterman here. Bill Hicks is a hero of mine and I'm no Letterman fan, but it did take guts for him to admit he fucked up, no matter what you think of it.
spirobrewer 1 year ago
He apologised after the documentary about bill hicks came out so it's just standard PR and Image saving. So I doubt the sincerity.
GOAT BOY WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU DAVID
Jasper1399 1 year ago 3
it takes a big man to admit he was wrong, u did the right thing dave, thank you.
tetchyorangutan 1 year ago
Dave! I had never seen this... it makes me cry. I love you, both...
ChrisPMadden 1 year ago
Bill Hicks was a great man. And I think it wouldn't be his wish for us to question Letterman's sincere feelings about his decision in the past. So please stop the hating comments about Letterman, just imagine that he was really sorry. If you always think the worst of people, the ride is no fun :(
Vaudeviller 1 year ago 108
@Vaudeviller
indeed the ride is fun only if you are asleep
SkaffBear 3 months ago
shame on you, you corporate fuck.
fkyou2slut 1 year ago
Wow, it only took 15 years for David Letterman to realize he made this mistake...and after Bill died...you sure are some sort of something Letterman, and it has nothing to do with growing wiser
puck342 1 year ago
id like to see the MSM play some of his bits about the evils of the american empire, the mind control of the masses, and his messages of love as the solution. Just like MLK's speeches against the vietnam war and expressing solidairty with the vietnamese people, and jesus' preachings against the rule of the roman empire and their puppet regime in palistinia....the powers that be are trying to erase them from history
sheepblitzer 1 year ago
Fucking hell they do this with every iconoclast, every truth teller, every great man. When they're alive they fear what they have to say, but after they're dead they embrace them as one of they're own, slightly changing the essence of that person,limiting the threat of that persons message reaching the mass public. Every revolutionary figure, Dickens, M.L.K. ( I mean did you see that Glenn Beck Bullshit) and Hicks slowly get woven in to the official narrative of history. Makes me fucking sick!
mgore90 1 year ago 5
I used to like David Letterman, but it seems as if he's apologizing a lot for a lot of things now a days and his apologies don't even look a slight bit sincere, otherwise he wouldn't had to read what he just said, which was like only 2 minutes.
RobertHolik 1 year ago
you know what, at least this got his name out a little more, and maybe led some of these "sheep" to discover some of the truths about the media
gibbsies 1 year ago
Can't be arsed watching this... did they show Bill's performance that was banned in this "tribute"?
silverrocket79 1 year ago
I think when David says around a minute in he was wrong to remove Bill's standup, he is being partly sincere, and it sucks that the audience is fucking laughing at that, laughing at Bill. Maybe he's not, but it sounds like he is partly meaning it.
mgdth502 1 year ago
Even when David is trying to be serious the crowd still laughs.......it's not funny....why laugh. Probably because Letterman is always being a cheeseball, he can never be seen as genuine.
Kariraa 1 year ago 62
@Kariraa Was thinking the same thing, it was sad and strange how those morons were giggling.
puresickmermaid 1 year ago
@Kariraa Agreed...but I wonder if they were even aware of who Bill Hicks was and the fact that he had passed away at all. I think if they'd known that they wouldn't have found Letterman's - should we call it an apology? - so giggle worthy.
switchbuckle 1 year ago
@Kariraa Probably because the audience are so clueless that when he introduces the segment they 1) do not know who Bill Hicks is; and 2) do not he died so young. But that's clueless America for you...remember the audience is mostly tourist from other parts of the US who are in town for a few days and line up for ages to catch a ticket. They don't Bill Hicks from their own elbow
xpat73 11 months ago
@Kariraa Watch his first post 9/11 show and tell me Dave's not sincere.
mjbab73 9 months ago
Comment removed
BrewToob 5 months ago
@Kariraa I don't understand the audience either. They're worse then a laugh track. At least a laugh track doesn't laugh when they're being serious. Apparently if any words come out of his mouth, they laugh.
Pathetic what comedy has become now these days.
Zer0small 4 months ago
16 years later and here comes the apology? The only thing I can say is: Shut up you satan's cock sucker.
SinnMaschine 1 year ago
Shot down just like Jesus, MLK, and Gandhi...!
maxpower789z 1 year ago
fuck you letterman for this theater
r.i.p bill
dreadbet 1 year ago
I love bill hicks :(
bonanza0688 1 year ago
It's like thoughs old radio show host/musicians that never play what inspired them at what was really good. Just top 20 and what isn't controversial.
80Blasko 1 year ago
You piece of shit lettermen he died weeks later, and u knew it. Another dead hero!!!!
redworld13 1 year ago
For my part...I'm just glad that the segment is finally out there.
spaceoreo 1 year ago
Letterman doesn't have any REGRET about what he did...he WANTS everyone in the country to know that his pathetic, self-loathing, egomaniacal self gets PUSSY from his (YUCK!) staff. He only regrets, like every othe criminal, that he got CAUGHT being a shallow, self-absorbed, abusive fuck.
alexeyre 1 year ago
@alexeyre If Letterman had no regret, he wouldn't have run a 15-year-old bit from a now legendary comedian and social critic. So...you see how that works? What he has done with his penis is hardly relevant to this video and tribute to the late great Bill Hicks. But you obviously have an issue there, so I'd recommend blogspot or wordpress as tools for you to purge your little self.
spaceoreo 1 year ago
it's clear that Letterman feels a deep regret for what he did. He knows that censoring Hicks' act that night dealt a powerful blow to his career, and to top it all off, the guy had terminal cancer. Letterman almost looked on the verge of tears at times.
Fucking douchebag audience laughs.
zapproowsdower 1 year ago
@zapproowsdower What people forget here is that David had not been at CBS for very long (2 months) when Bill Hicks did this episode. I was uspet to learn the segment got cut, I don't know why David and CBS made the decision but the point is he did apologize and he seemed very upset about what happened. We got to see Bill Hicks' peformance and it was fantastic. What I always like about David is when he fucks up he apoligizes. Many people in the media won't. To those who are still pissed, Grow Up!
RealTime88 1 year ago 3
Atleast he apologised for doing it
begood20000 1 year ago
Letterman can confess and do this since the Republicans are no longer in power, putting money into pro life advertising.
KJGould 1 year ago
What a hypocrite. Lets remember the great Bill Hicks on a show that banned his comedy. I can hear Bill turning in his grave..."Fucking Corporate shills"....
THALIDO 1 year ago
i think its cos obama is in power so sponsors are probably not closely affiliated to the christian groups on that date as they were in 93
jebr1983 1 year ago
You know what, I don't think Letterman was right to do what he did. It was for money, but more specifically than that it was the pride he took in his very, very prestigious job. Top host on TV, and an actual funny and entertaining one at that. He ain't perfect but still, I believe he truly is sorry and regretful as he has constantly mentioned in many facets of the media. This does not pardon him, but I believe that it does put some bad energy good now that he is trying to respectfully apologise.
xXTheSockRockerXx 1 year ago
Comment removed
kevhead66 1 year ago
liars bullshit. Bill Hicks and people like will always be around to fight to subvert to open our minds and soul! Free your fucking souls!
jebr1983 1 year ago
IMHO If there was another comedian today to perform material like Bill did then, it'd get cut too.
TheSoulnado 1 year ago
They fucking killed him GOD DAMN IT. search CIA cancer assassination.
theagrafiotis 1 year ago
@theagrafiotis I haven't searched for that, but I started to suspect he was killed when I read about the use of microwaves on the population at large.
NoisemakerArrow 1 year ago
shame on letterman for subscribing to censorship
track2now 1 year ago 4
I just wanna slap the entire crowd! people are fucking brainwashed.
xBoBaReNox 1 year ago 5
Lman u don't think outside the box like Hicks. now you're sorry cause u know u sucked up to TV sponsors like the superficial corporate slime ball u are fucking all your female staff & telling corney jokes. The only reason I watch u late night is cause the only other choice TV allow me are sponsored ads like demtel that go for half an hour with hypocrites saying how wonderful some huge ball is between their thighs so I turn over to u :) a man with no balls to risk creative controversial thought.
midguardz 1 year ago
You can tell the crowd as no idea who Bill Hicks was. What a bunch of sheep listening to this "comedian".
An by the way David, you mentioned you came to this new insight as you've grown older and wiser. It took you 62 years of growing up to finaly understand what Bill understood when you was 30? Well, i guess that elloquently pictures the difference between you two. In class, in insight and in talent.
Bill Hick was and still is miles ahead of anybody out there.
Rest in peace Bill
jccusell 1 year ago
I don't understand how the audience are sheeps. What do you expect them to do? Start yelling and screaming?
TheHockeyCentral 1 year ago
on removing hicks' bit from his show: "a decision born of insecurity" "i don't know why"
hahahah, lies
sergiogd86 1 year ago
@sergiogd86 lol so true, see dave's face when he said that too? He knows exactly why he removed it, he thought it would offend the advertiser in the break,
mike23984 1 year ago
Well, at least they showed his bit (far) postmortum...
dailydols 1 year ago
Stupid, ridiculous audience. Is there a way to mute just the sheep sitting behind the camera?
Striker675 1 year ago
Why did Paul seem so suprised that Bill had died? (1:30) How did he NOT know that? The guy was one of thew biggest comedians out there! Was he living under a rock?
rageohol 1 year ago
good from Dave!
gardenhead88 1 year ago
BILL HICKS a.k.a. William Melvin
AMERICAN FUCKING HERO -_\
i hope ur watchin ... coz if u think ur days were funny u should definetly see the shit that's going on right now man .... llllllllllllllol
REST IN PEACE bro
28date 1 year ago
for those of you fortunate enough to see the film "American: Bill Hicks Story," if Bill's brother is in attendance, ask him about his mother's appearance on Letterman's show ( I had a chance to speak to him after the screening here up North). Those who are lavishly praising Letterman for this 'kind' gesture, think again.
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@THISUTUBESUCKS can you tell me more about what you mean?..Im a big Hicks fan.
rageohol 1 year ago
@rageohol Hi.
Bill's brother gave the impression that he was really upset that Letterman's production company would charge the makers of the Hicks doc a couple hundred thousand (allegedly) for the right to use Hick's appearances on Letterman for the Bill Hicks doc. Bill's brother said to me that if he was genuine in his praise for his brother, and sincerely regretted his censoring, then he would give the clip to the production company in good faith (pro bono), not passing along a bill
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@rageohol
Also, Bill's brother gave me the impression that having his mother on the show was merely pandering to the show's female demographic in the wake of Letterman's intern sex scandal, not a genuine act of regret.
Bill's brother relayed the idea that he believed Letterman got wind of this documetnary being made, and made a pre-emptive choice to go on the offensive
before the video's release.
I asked
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@rageohol Bill's bro also questionned why Letterman did not address why he censored Bill's act in the first place. .
Left of a legitimate reason, an unclear motive, only Letterman's "I don't know why" statement, then you can see why Bill's bro would have suspicion.
If that was my brother, and I recieve an invoice to pay for a video clip on the Letterman show in the wake of this 'gesture" , I would be pissed too.
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@THISUTUBESUCKS Thanks alot for taking the time to reply to me over that. Its a damn shame that there has to be such greasy Machievellian scheming and spinning over this event. I guess you dont get to be a DL (or president, or PM, or anything in the top elite of a field) without knowing how to spin, backstab, and claw your way to the top. But we know why he had it cancelled, the suits told him to. Anyway, I really appreciate your post there. Thank you.
rageohol 1 year ago
@rageohol No problem. Thank you!
In the words of John Lennon, "There's room at the top they're telling you still. But first you must learn how to smile as you kill if you want to be like the folks on the hill. But a worlking class hero (like Bill Hicks) is still something to be."
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@THISUTUBESUCKS Forgive me for not getting this, but I just want to understand what Steve Hicks told you. He said that Worldwide Pants invoiced HIM for footage of Bill's Letterman spot/s or or they charged the producers of 'American'?
spaceoreo 1 year ago
@spaceoreo No prob, and I apologize for not being clear. I got the impression that the doc makers, not Mr. Hicks himself, would be charged if they used Bil's Late Show appearance in the film. Bills' bro got wind of this through the film makers, and was furious that Worldwide Pants, under the direction of David Letterman, would send a bill to them.
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@THISUTUBESUCKS Mrs Hicks appeared on the show in late Jan last year. The 'sex scandal' was in October. Unless I missed something you posted, I don't know how this stands up.
spaceoreo 1 year ago
@spaceoreo I understand that, and I thought about that too after the fact.
Once again, I'm only going by what Bill's bro told me. I got the impression that he believed having his mother on the show was merely pandering to the show's female demographic. He mentioned Letterman's sex scandal. I didn't think it was appropriate to say: "But...his mom was on a year before the sex scandal." To me, he seemed to be genuinely furious, and I didn't think it would be right for me to question his anger.
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@spaceoreo Of course we can argue in favor of Letterman being a businessman and protecting his intellectual property. The film probably is going to be distributed worldwide and matters of rights and clearances are a serious issue -- remember the Tom Brokaw Top 10 List joke on Late Show episode #1?
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@spaceoreo Obviously, there's more under the surface that we know of; it`s not just an invoice. No one really knows what the censoring of that appearance did to Bill or Bill's family. Nobody really knows what Bill said to his bro about Letterman in private. However, when I spoke to Mr. Hicks it was clear he had strong feelings about Letterman. I think that invoice was just a catalyst in rekindling passions that have never faded away, and that ultimately, we`ll never really know about.
THISUTUBESUCKS 1 year ago
@THISUTUBESUCKS It's interesting to know a little of the family's perspective. I imagine if the Hicks family had asked for the footage on the film-makers' behalf things might not have been so $-focused. Who knows? By all accounts I've read Bill was crushed at having the segment pulled &, having been close by as a brother died I can understand the Hicks family not being kindly disposed towards Letterman. But Mrs Hicks was very gracious. We could take her cue.
spaceoreo 1 year ago
Hey dude thanks for putting this up. Everyone should watch this, he considered this his best perfromance.
SilverSurfer166 1 year ago
It's too bad Letterman didn't do this when Bill Hicks was alive, but he still impressed me with his apology and giving so much time to Bill and his mom.
JustCamus 1 year ago
The audience's laughter here is a little unsettling, to be honest. Still, I think it was a classy move on Dave's part and he went about it exactly the right way, showing the original footage and taking responsibility for what happened.
TheKeeledOverKid 1 year ago
COWARD- David Letterman trying to cover his tracks.
erikinhawaii 1 year ago
During Dave's mea culpa the audience were giggling? why didn't he control that?
gbh903 1 year ago
Fucking dickhead, he can't utter a single word without looking his flashcards.His talentless boring self can't even imagine Bill's genius
SherlockSoc 1 year ago
LIZARD
agentchronicthc 1 year ago
Letterman is who he is... But at least he swallowed his pride and did the right thing here...
MrKillerDolphins 1 year ago
he needed to apolgise the corporate shill
randypan71 1 year ago
Good for you, Dave. Huge Hicks fan, the man inspired an embittered, younger me to not take life so seriously, and I've been more optimistic ever since. Glad you tried to make amends. :)
LomaxMcGee3 1 year ago
Zero talent Letterman, rot u scumbag!
Keithyspielberg 1 year ago
I would have booooed letterman when he said it was my decision
eddo1983 1 year ago
thanks to youtube for keeping bill hicks alive, I would have never known him if it not for youtube
ERICLEEPARKER 1 year ago 63
the voice that letterman is talking to is the leader of his tv band, is it? Because to me it almost sounds a bit like a bored Hicks. And I really shouldn't have said that because it's an offence that I dont really want to give Bill Hicks, but hey.
nelnel2709 1 year ago
16 years gone today. Thanks to Bill's fans, he's still very much alive.
Cutters79 1 year ago 5
Bill Hicks says fuck you from the grave Letterman(adulterer)
firdaus125 1 year ago
oh man, YOU have an actual DIRECT line to bill hicks? how is he? fuck has he met up with carlin yet?
yourboyrayray 1 year ago 2
yeah he met your mom too
firdaus125 1 year ago
oooohh snap!!!!!!! ice burn. high five man. tears are rolling and ive been fucked badly by your ex to the TREME wit.
will this keep hurting or will it go away soon?
yourboyrayray 1 year ago 2
@firdaus125 Ha, I hardly think Hicks would have cared that Letterman was an adulterer :P
metalheaven 1 year ago
I miss Bill Hicks so much. Such a shame he died so young. Just further proves his point of how good people die first and the demons run amok. Sure he wasn't murdered...but he was a voice of reason.
LucidDream 1 year ago 20
Pure unmitigated evil--15yrs too late.
LimpLoser 1 year ago
you sad pathetic people criticising Hicks - go fuck dinosaurs
sherdog1 2 years ago 9
Do you think bill Hicks would have forgiven him?
BlackestRose64 2 years ago 3
@BlackestRose64 Yeah sure definitely I would say. He was intelligent, perceptive and philosophical. It's just a real shame Letterman didn't do this before he died.
thedukeofrosco 2 years ago
FUCK YOU leTTerman
you tried to shut up Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks = LEGEND
letterman = coksucker
saprissa30 2 years ago
if youve watched the end of this then youll see how ashamed letterman seems. it takes guts to go and eat humble pie on national television, i respect him for it even if it was lame that it got taken off originally.
plxplxkthx 2 years ago 20
That little wanker on the drums is a cunt lol
IncredibleBoyo 2 years ago 7
Agreed. Fucking hate that guy.
kryogenix 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
It's obvious a lot of people wish for Letterman to have cancer, how many of us realise he IS cancer.
jokei666 2 years ago
fuckin sucker of satens cock as the great man would put it
doyley1985 2 years ago
Learn to spell Satan buddy... it's important!
thanatogenous 2 years ago
David is an asshole and his audience are a bunch of fucking goat people!
badboykilla 2 years ago 4
Money, David, that's why you took him out. Your sponsors didn't like what Bill was saying.
okzon 2 years ago 141
@okzon but if your boss didnt want you to do something would you still do it?
hgates101 1 year ago
He died of Cancer,
codownni 1 year ago
@okzon yeah, 15 years gave the checks plenty of time to clear.
bwc3821 1 year ago
It took David a long time to do it. But I respect the man for this.
It's one thing to just give a platitude apology, it's another to apologize and fix it as much as you can by somewhat undoing what you did.
If he still refused to show the clip the apology would of been fake, but he has decided to show it, and you know as well as I did he probably caught hell from some chump in some department over it but chose to do it anyway.
n0s1r 2 years ago 10
fucking sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep audiance
jabre12 2 years ago 76
@jabre12 Thank you!!! I remember Bill Hicks used to mock his audiance calling them sheep when they did not like it. Bill Hicks was a genius by making people think for themselves and realizing the world that is out there and how crazy it is. I cannot beileve Dave's audiance was laughing while he is trying to be serious.
RealTime88 1 year ago
@jabre12 mere sheeple
campbpar 1 year ago