Letterman's Bush Skit Embellished By CNN Anchors
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
April 2, 2004

A comedy skit making fun of President George W. Bush on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" turned into a public relations blunder for CNN this week when they decided to play an early April Fools joke on its viewers by alleging the White House decried the video as fake.

On Monday night, Letterman conducted a comedy video segment on his show called "George W. Bush Invigorates America's Youth."

In one of the videos used, Bush was shown at a recent campaign stop in Orlando, Florida making a speech. In the background was a teenaged boy who was yawning and fidgeting while Bush was speaking.

CNN decided to run the Letterman bit on Tuesday morning's "CNN Live Today" program as a light-hearted break from the news.

But the controversy began when CNN host Daryn Kagan attempted to continue with the theme of the Letterman video by alleging the Bush administration denied it was genuine.

"We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video, which would explain why the people around him weren't really reacting," Kagan ad-libbed to viewers.

This led to another CNN anchor, Kyra Phillips, showing the video later in the day reporting the footage of the boy was simply a joke.

"We're told that the kid was there at that event, but not necessarily standing behind the president," Phillips explained, repeating the report by Kagan earlier on CNN.

However, nobody from the Bush administration ever alleged the video was altered in any way, because the boy's antics really happened.

In reaction to this, Letterman aired the remarks by both Kagan and Phillips on his Tuesday night show and decried the insinuation that the video was altered in any way.

"An out-and-out, 100 percent absolute lie," Letterman expressed, vowing the footage was exactly as it happened. "The kid absolutely was there and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape."

Assuming the Bush administration made the comment alleged by CNN, the late-night comedian added, "So when you cast your vote in November, just remember that the White House was trying to make me look like a dope."

But even before Letterman's rant about this incident on his show was recorded on Tuesday, CNN had already called Letterman's show to let them know the reporting was wrong.

But Letterman did not receive the message until one of his producers informed him through a note while he was pining about it on his show.

"According to this, CNN has just phoned," Letterman stated, explaining that the "anchorwoman misspoke."

He continued, "They never got a comment from the White House. It was a CNN mistake."

True to form, Letterman responded to this in his own unique comedic manner.

"Now I've called the White House liars, and you know what that means -- they're going to start looking into my taxes!" Letterman shouted.

CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson admitted the mistake on Thursday and said the "misunderstanding" has now been resolved.

For her part with the mishap, Kagan apologized to Letterman on the air Thursday and offered to appear on the show in the future to be one of his "Stupid Human Tricks."