Comedian Don Rickles told David Letterman, on Friday’s Late Show, that “the highlight of my life was doing the Ronald Reagan Inaugural,” the 87-year-old (88 on May 8) recalled of his legendary career.
He reminisced about how Frank Sinatra used his clout to overcome opposition to his inclusion by Reagan aides concerned Rickles would “make us all look like jerks.”
Don Rickles
By Brent Baker | May 3, 2014 | 8:28 PM EDT
By Tim Graham | June 13, 2012 | 8:00 AM EDT
“Viewers of TV Land will not be able to watch insult comic Don Rickles compare President Barack Obama to a janitor at the recent American Film Institute tribute to Shirley MacLaine,” The Hollywood Reporter revealed. “I shouldn’t make fun of the blacks...President Obama is a personal friend of mine,” said Rickles. “He was over to the house yesterday, but the mop broke.”
"He is not being censored," a Rickles agent told the paper. "Before all of this started, we knew Don's spot would be cut a bit for time, as would others, including possibly Shirley herself since the show ran over and we knew it was likely that might be edited.”
By P.J. Gladnick | July 17, 2011 | 10:39 AM EDT
(Check the update at the bottom of this story. Bristol may have accidentally tipped us off as to the intentions of her mother.)
You know what a true insult from comedian Don Rickles would be? It would be if you appeared on a stage with Rickles and did NOT receive an "insult" from the "Merchant of Venom."
However, many media websites seem to be unaware of Rickles' stock in trade. They are crowing over the fact that they believe Don Rickles delivered serious insults to Bristol and Sarah Palin during a visit of the former to the Tonight Show last Thursday where the comedian was one of the guests. As you can see in this video (and below the fold), Rickles "insults" were relatively mild compared to the zingers he directed towards President Ronald Reagan on stage during his second inauguration in 1985. And the reaction from The Gipper was sheer delight at the "insults."
Yet here we have such sites as Raw Story and andPOP taking the Rickles insults as if they were some sort of serious political commentary. Raw Story leads off with a headline that could also describe a Rickles encounter with anybody on a stage: "Don Rickles makes fun of Bristol Palin to her face."