Well this was very odd television viewing. But very moving. David Letterman apologized profusely on Friday night's Late Show for censoring controversial comic Bill Hicks' performance 15 years ago, 4 months before the 32-year-old died of pancreatic cancer. At first, the crowd didn't know what to make of it, and laughed uneasily - and then they realized, crap, Letterman's serious, and he's really sorry. Dave then welcomed Bill Hicks' mother, and apologized more. And then he showed the routine he censored a decade and a half ago. Which, as we mentioned before, though briliiant and biting, is the sort of thing network television might censor. Don't know why he did this now, but glad he did.
Here's Letterman's apology, and the crowd's "what are we supposed to do" reaction:
Here's Dave's moving interview with Bill Hicks' mother:
And here's the censored Bill Hicks Late Night With David Letterman performance:
PREVIOUSLY:
Classy David Letterman Will Air Bill Hicks' Censored Performance
