Joaquin Phoenix Says Infamous Letterman Interview Was ‘One of the Worst Nights of My Life’ originally appeared on Parade.
Joaquin Phoenix is still haunted by one of his most awkward late-night moments in TV.
During Tuesday’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Phoenix reflected on his now-infamous 2009 interview with David Letterman, calling it “one of the worst nights of my life.”
“Yeah, it was strange,” Phoenix said, after Colbert pointed out it had been 15 years since his last appearance on the show. “Because in some ways it was a success and it was also just one of the worst nights of my life.”
The Eddington actor, 50, was promoting the Casey Affleck-directed mockumentary I’m Still Here at the time of the original Late Show with David Letterman interview.
Phoenix had adopted a disheveled, mumbling persona in public as part of the film, claiming to have retired from acting to become a hip-hop artist. That persona followed him onto Letterman’s stage — with memorably uncomfortable results.
“As part of the promotion for a film that I had made, I was coming on the show, and so I was stuck,” Phoenix told Colbert. “I had to keep it going.”
He admitted he tried to give Letterman a heads-up.
“When I came on the show with Dave, I originally did the pre-interview in character, and I realized that it was just a little silly,” he said. “So I called them back and I said, ‘Listen, this is what I’m doing. I’m coming out here and I’m doing this whole thing. I just want Dave to like lacerate me, I just want it to be really dangerous.’”
Still, the result was deeply regrettable: “It was horrible, it was so uncomfortable, I regret it,” he said. “I’ll never do it again. I’m so sorry.”
Colbert noted that Letterman may not be watching, but Phoenix made a point to offer an apology anyway: “He might be, and I just need to say I’m sorry.”
Phoenix did return to Letterman’s show in 2010 for a follow-up appearance after the mockumentary’s release, but joked to Colbert, “I imagine they did like a major exorcism after I left.”
Phoenix’s latest film, Eddington, also stars Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone. The movie hits theaters July 18.
Joaquin Phoenix Says Infamous Letterman Interview Was ‘One of the Worst Nights of My Life’ first appeared on Parade on Jul 16, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
