NEW YORK — Even a fatwa is grist for comedy when you’re David Letterman. Back from two weeks’ vacation and making his first TV appearance since a threat against his life was posted on a jihadist website, the “Late Show” host played it for laughs during Monday’s monologue.
Letterman began by thanking his studio audience for being there. “Tonight,” he said, “you people are more, to me, honestly, than an audience — you’re more like a human shield.”
Last week, a frequent contributor to a jihadist website posted the threat against Letterman. He urged Muslim followers to “cut the tongue” of the late-night host because of a joke the comic had made about al-Qaeda leaders.
“State Department authorities are looking into this,” Letterman said Monday. But they could save themselves some time: “Everybody knows it’s (Jay) Leno.” The Associated Press; Associated Press file photo
