After Johnny Carson, David Letterman is my favorite late night talk show host of all-time. But last night he made a joke that made me cringe (and I'm pretty cringe-resistant).
He was giving the weekly "Fun Facts" list (doing it on Wednesday this week because he's in repeats tonight and Friday due to of March Madness basketball), and the last joke in the pile was one about Andy Rooney. I don't remember it verbatim, but it was something along the lines of, "Andy Rooney's wife tells him, 'yeah, a--hole, I've noticed," a joke about how Rooney always says the phrase "you ever notice...," which, in all fairness to Rooney, I think has been said more by his impersonators (like Joe Piscopo) than by Rooney himself.
The reason this joke made me cringe is because Rooney's wife of 62 years, Marguerite, died in 2004. I know it hit Rooney really hard. He even mentions in one of his books that he left her name out of some of his older columns because it was really hard thinking about her passing away. Now, obviously, Letterman (or, more accurately, his joke writers) didn't go online, find out that Rooney's wife was dead and then decide to write a joke about her. It was just an edgy, throwaway joke, one of a dozen or so that Letterman read off of his "Fun Facts" list. But all I could do after Letterman said it was think of Rooney, now approaching 90, sitting in his Connecticut home, maybe watching Letterman before going to bed, hearing this joke.
Maybe I'm just getting more sensitive as I get older.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-27-2008 @ 2:22PM
Jimmy said...
The Fun Facts segment is tired, but that joke is pretty damn funny.
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3-27-2008 @ 2:46PM
dt3 said...
you are definetely getting overly sensitive now that you hit the big seven-zero ... also less observant, rooney constantly drops the "you ever notice"
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3-27-2008 @ 3:12PM
Jo Ellen said...
Letterman's joke was horrible and insensitive. Wouldn't matter if your 9 or 99--there was nothing nice or funny about his "fun fact." Letterman and his writers should step up to the plate and apologize for their lack of humor. Personally, I'd much rather listen to the Scotsman who follows Letterman--he is much funnier and far more sensitive. If only I could recall his name this morning!
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3-27-2008 @ 3:17PM
mrzer0 said...
Dude, at 90 years old do you really think he's up watching "Late Night with David Letterman" Have you ever noticed that 90 year-olds sleep most of the day? Letterman's joke was indeed horrible. Horribly funny! Its one of those dichotomies about the sadness and humor in life. I'll give you that it was insensitive, but it was still funny.
Humor is everywhere, in that there's irony in just about anything a human does.
- Bill Nye
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3-27-2008 @ 3:19PM
toof said...
yes, you're being sensitive.
there's plenty of other things in the world that should be making you cringe.
and no, i doubt a 90 year old is still up watching david letterman.
in fact, i doubt a 90 year old is still up after 8 or 9pm...
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3-27-2008 @ 3:35PM
MJL said...
Jesus Christ, lighten up.
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3-27-2008 @ 4:00PM
ed said...
Just to balance out the negative criticism, I'm glad you posted this. It's both funny and sad, and possibly a load of b0ll0cks!
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3-27-2008 @ 4:05PM
Tom said...
Did you ever think that maybe the writers do know Andy's wife has passed away and the joke means to imply that even his long since dead wife "noticed" and is sick of him saying so? Either way, the joke was not about his wife, it was about Andy's repititive and non-sensical retorts and musings.
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3-27-2008 @ 4:46PM
Derek said...
*rolls eyes*
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3-27-2008 @ 5:20PM
Stephen Waits said...
Who cares about Andy Rooney? He is an a-hole, and that's what the joke was about. Nobody can stand him. Why is he still on TV? Does he have some kinda dirt on the network execs? There's no reasonable explanation. When I see his fat ugly face on my TV I turn it off immediately.
Go Dave Go!
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3-27-2008 @ 5:19PM
Nathan said...
"Have you ever noticed how many late night talk shows there are these days, Letterman, Leno, Craig Ferguson, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Carson Daily. 25 years ago we only had 3 Channels, and if the President was on, you watched him. Whats with President these days..I'm Old, and senile" --Andy Rooney, every episode he is on.
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3-27-2008 @ 7:29PM
willy the impeached said...
Did ya ever notice ..... Andy Rooney is a real douchebag? Whats up with that?
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3-28-2008 @ 1:05AM
Stigmata said...
why are any of you even remotely shocked or saddened?
i thought you americans would have developed a thicker skin by now.
i mean, how is this any different from whats happening to britney spears and the late anna nicole?
americans are self destructive, chipping away at the moral fiber that once bound this great nation. you have become a joke, economically as well.
your only option now is to go to war, destabilise the world, so you can come back on top. this is what america does best, this is the reflection of humanity at its worst, its most ignorant!
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3-28-2008 @ 3:03AM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Wow, Letterman can't make a joke even though the woman's been dead for 4 freaking years? People are so damn sensitive now...
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3-28-2008 @ 10:36PM
Emerald said...
I don't think you're being more sensitive, you're probably just more aware of the pain of loss than you used to be. Death is difficult, and more so when it involves someone close to you or is unexpected.
As someone who grew up with tragedy, it's not cool to joke about deceased people unless you have permission from the living. My aunt, uncle, and cousins died in a horrible plane crash 25 years ago, and it's still a touchy subject. (aka "Not funny at all") I would also NEVER make a "throwaway" joke about my deceased grandparents to their spouses (my living grandparents), even though they've been gone 10 years each. It's thoughtless to take their grief lightly.
It's called tact, people. We used to have it as a society, but "comedy" has made it okay to ignore. When you lose someone who means the world to you, maybe you'll understand.
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4-09-2008 @ 8:38AM
Faith said...
I am pretty sure Andy Rooney is not somewhere falling apart over this. Couldn't think of anything else to write about, huh?
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3-28-2008 @ 5:10PM
sitruc said...
It looks to be a good joke although considering the circumstances it was bad taste. I doubt the writers did research though. Just unfortunate. You were just the one person who knew the situation.
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3-31-2008 @ 1:21AM
Nathan said...
I thought you were gunna say Rooney has testicular cancer or something.
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