So blunt and so honest.

Posted by: Sarah | March 28, 2007 01:50 PM

I was searching YouTube to see if I could see find a clip of it, which I haven't, but I did find an OLD clip of Jay Leno ranting to Letterman about a local circus:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HNHO8boPr8Q

Posted by: J. Teeple | March 28, 2007 01:53 PM

Thank you David Letterman!

The abuses by the Ringling Brothers company are common knowledge now.

When will the USDA deal with that company?

Ringling Brothers seems to delight in torturing animals. It is a sick, sick business operated by sick people.

Posted by: kelly | March 28, 2007 02:36 PM

Haha! I wish I would have seen it. GO DAVE!

Posted by: Morgan | March 28, 2007 03:05 PM

you rock letterman!! direct and right to the point hopefully by now, no one will attend the circus after all the attention brought to Ringling brothers recently!! breaking and elephants spirit is hard to do and the have mastered the task and it is sick!! they should not be for entertainment but in the place they belong in the wild!! and let david letterman and the rest of the talk show hosts do the entertaining humanely!! and for those of you who wonder why elephants or any other animal goes nuts and then shot to death all because it is tired of being abused!! watch some video at peta.com and then ask yourself is this something that is entertaining for your kids?? i have never taken mine to a circus ever and he knows why now and hes 15 and loves the fact that i educate him on all the cruelty going on in this world!! sunshine, wisconsin

Posted by: Kris Shulfer | March 28, 2007 03:14 PM

i wonder if kelly ripa was watching?? im sure she'll take her kids!! LOL

Posted by: Kris Shulfer | March 28, 2007 03:15 PM

Thanks, Dave, for saying speaking out about this, however briefly.

Question though : When are people like David Letterman, people in a real position to reach MILLIONS every night, going to really speak out, educate and urge their watchers not to attend?

Again, thank you for mentioning it, but that joke may have went over the heads of many viewers simply because education about circuses is still so lacking. Many blind Americans still don't know and therefore, don't care!

That's why the USDA hasn't done anything about Ringling. There is not enough public outrage!

Posted by: Kristine | March 28, 2007 03:36 PM

Hopefully Dave's comment will have struck a chord in people who are curious to learn more and "investigate" it. Thanks for sharing, and thanks Dave! (and I saw the clip of Leno.. thanks Jay!)

Posted by: K | March 28, 2007 05:51 PM

I wish National Public Radio could be as informed about circus elephant abuse as Dave is.

Check out their story, "When the Elephants March in Manhattan"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9190015

Posted by: Reed | March 28, 2007 08:23 PM

Just wanted to note-

NPR also supports the dog cruelty in IDITAROD!

(And PBS through CHILDREN'S shows like Reading Rainbow)

My feeling is that NPR and PBS are incredibly hypocritical.

Or else someone at these organizations is incredibly ignorant.

Posted by: kelly | March 29, 2007 01:37 PM

i have had a chronic back injury for nearly a year since zippos circus in london england pulled me by machine off one of the horses they were abusing - has anyone else been injured or do they usually just abuse animals? i met a woman who had seen the same stunt done and the woman had been carted off by ambulance

Posted by: emmabraveteller | August 5, 2007 09:27 AM