celebrity

Jennifer Aniston appeared on The David Letterman Show in 1998. He sucked her hair on live TV.

In the post #MeToo era, it feels like very week a shocking old clip of a female celebrity being treated badly resurfaces, making us realise just how far we've come (but also, just how far we still have to go when it comes to gender equality). 

The recent Netflix doco, You Don't Know Me, which chronicles the complicated life and tragic death of model Anna Nicole Smith, features footage of radio DJ Howard Stern mocking Smith's weight and asking her to step on a pair of scales in the studio, as his colleagues laugh. 

And in the last couple of years, interviews with Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Ariana Grande, and many more, have resurfaced, reminding us of the uncomfortable questions and sexist attitudes these stars have come up against in their careers. 

Watch a clip from Lindsay Lohan's appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman below. Post continues after video.


Video via CBS.

Just this week, another very uncomfortable chat show moment is doing the rounds on social media again, this time a clip featuring chat show host David Letterman, and his appalling treatment of The Morning Show star Jennifer Aniston.

Why is everyone talking about David Letterman and Jennifer Aniston?

In the resurfaced interview from 1998, Letterman is seen sucking on Jennifer Aniston's hair like it's a strand of spaghetti.

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After discussing Aniston's weirdest fan encounters, Letterman moves his chair towards the Friends actor.

"Forgive me if this is rude, I just want to try one thing," he says, before leaning in to Aniston with his tongue out.

"What are you doing?!" Aniston asks, looking incredibly uncomfortable. 

Afterwards, Letterman offers Aniston a tissue to wipe her wet strand of hair.

"I'm sorry," he says as the audience laugh.

One Twitter user called the incident "straight up sexual harassment on air". Others labelled Letterman's behaviour "disgusting". 

since we’re talking about david letterman being awful.. is anyone ever going to address this? pic.twitter.com/ZU5wIpsTFg

— ⁎ (@jensbuffy) February 14, 2021

Sadly, it's not just Aniston who was mistreated at the hands of the talk show host. 

Last year, a controversial interview between Letterman and Lindsay Lohan resurfaced on Twitter.

"This Lindsay Lohan interview on David Letterman in 2013 is horrifying to watch now," Twitter user Trey Taylor wrote.

Read: Lindsay Lohan was interviewed by David Letterman in 2013. It's horrifying to watch now.

At the time, Lohan, 27, appeared on The Late Show to promote her upcoming project, Scary Movie 5, ahead of a 90-day court-appointed rehab visit.

While the interview started well, Letterman soon moved on to the subject of rehab.

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"Aren’t you supposed to be in rehab now?" the host asked.

"Do you not watch anything that goes on?" Lohan responded. "What are you, a tabloid now?"

In the clip, the actress appeared visibly uncomfortable, while Letterman continued to probe. 

"What are they rehab-ing, first of all? What is on their list? What are they going to work on when you walk through the door?" Letterman continued, as the studio audience laughed. 

"We didn't discuss this in the pre-interview," Lohan responded.

"I think, to be honest, I'm happiest when I'm working and the healthiest and I think this is an opportunity for me to focus on what I love and I don't think it's a bad thing, I think it's a blessing."

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Letterman then bluntly asked: "Do you have addiction problems?"

As the host continued, Lohan reminded him that she was there to promote her film. But Letterman didn't let up.

Listen to Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast, The Spill, below. Post continues after podcast.

"You can't make a joke of it," Lohan told him, refusing to answer more questions about rehab. "That's so mean."

Since the clip went viral on Twitter, a number of interviews from David Letterman's former talk show have resurfaced.

In another resurfaced interview from 1994, Letterman attempted to pressure Madonna to kiss a man in the audience.

When the singer refused, Letterman responded: "A lot of people would cave into the pressure and say, 'Oh alright', and go out and get it over with."

"Well, I've never succumbed to peer pressure," Madonna responded.

"Incidentally, you are a sick f**k," she added. "I don't know why I get so much sh*t."

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Similarly to Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton was grilled by Letterman when she appeared on The Late Show in 2007.

During her appearance on the show, Letterman continually questioned Hilton about her time in jail after a reckless driving incident.

"Wasn't that horrible?" he asked. "What was your experience?"

"Obviously it was a very traumatic experience," Hilton, who appeared visibly uncomfortable, responded.

Afterwards, Letterman continued to ask Hilton endless questions about her time in prison.

"I’ve moved on with my life so I don’t really want to talk about it anymore," Hilton awkwardly replied.

"This is where you and I are different because this all I want to talk about," Letterman said. "So, did you make any friends when you were in there?" 

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Hilton responded: "I'm not asking anymore questions about that. I'm here for my clothing line and my movie and my perfume. I'm not here to talk about that."

How has the internet responded?

As the interviews continue to surface, some viewers are calling for David Letterman to apologise.

"This is vile on so many levels. The misogyny. The blindsiding. The stigma of addiction and rehab. The hypocrisy of wanting people to recover, but then judging how they choose to do so. I hope Lindsay Lohan knows how loved she is," one Twitter user wrote.

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"This makes me feel sick. It's so dehumanising," another said.

"He really enjoyed asking women inappropriate questions and watching them squirm while the audience laughed," another commented.

At the time of publishing, Letterman hasn't responded to the resurfaced interviews. However, the former late show host has long been criticised for being "too mean" to his guests.

Read: Ellen DeGeneres isn’t nice enough? You haven’t heard about David Letterman.

In 2017, Letterman, who retired from The Late Show in 2015, responded to the claims.

"I always felt like we got 500 people in the audience and it's my responsibility to get a laugh. Many times, the laugh would come at the expense of the guest. I regret that now, but at the time you think, 'I've got to do anything to keep my head above water'," Letterman told Vulture.

"I was so single-minded in getting through the hour, and sarcasm is so easy. The quote is 'Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit'. If you can't think of something funny, say something sarcastic. That worked and also got me in a lot of trouble," he continued.

"People would accuse me of being mean. Well, yes, sarcasm probably is mean; but on the other hand, I'm just trying to get a laugh, so leave me alone."

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Feature Image: CBS.

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