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Bill Hicks - Censored Letterman Appearance 15 Years Later

submitted by Grimm

1 decade 5 years 9 months 3 weeks ago

On October 1, 1993, about five months before his death, Hicks was scheduled to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman for the twelfth time, but his entire performance was removed from the broadcast - the only occasion, up to that point, in which a comedian's entire routine had been cut after taping. Both the show's producers and CBS denied responsibility at the time. Hicks expressed his feelings of betrayal in a hand-written, 39-page letter to John Lahr of The New Yorker. Although Letterman later expressed regret at the way Hicks had been handled, he did not appear on the show again.

Tonight the performance was broadcast for the very first time 15 years later.

You can find Letterman's explanation of what happened and his apology to Bills mother here.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Letterman-Apologizes-For-Censoring-Bill-Hicks-16-Years-Ago