30 most shocking moments in late night history
By Jeremy Dick
6. Madonna has no filter on Late Show with David Letterman
Madonna’s 1994 appearance on Late Show wasn’t the first or last time she had been a guest of Letterman’s, but it was certainly the most memorable. As the singer had been the butt of many of Letterman’s jokes relating to her sex life, she had been growing increasingly irritated with him. From there, this would result a very awkward interview.
On the show, Madonna would drop the F-bomb fourteen separate times, making it the most censored late night talk show in history at that point. Tension was in the air when Madonna claimed that money had made Letterman soft, and that he was always “sucking up” to his guests instead of challenging them.
Things didn’t get better at the end of the interview, as Madonna simply refused to leave the set. Even people in the audience were telling her to get off, and the other planned guest for the night was bumped as a consequence. The singer just sat there and puffed on a cigar, unwilling to leave the chair, but it wound up working out for the network— the episode brought in some of the highest ratings Letterman had ever had.
Next: 5. The faux meltdown