The passing of Don Rickles earlier on Thursday marked the end of a career that stands next to the greatest of all time. There’s no shortage of famous names connected to Rickles and he’s likely insulted every one of them, including greats like Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope at one point. He was comedy royalty and his appearances on late night television knocked that home. Jimmy Kimmel knew that and had Rickles at least a dozen times over 15 seasons.
To pay tribute, Kimmel put together a montage of some of the best insults, jokes, and moments featuring Rickles from over the years. And even though he slowed down from his days with Johnny Carson, it was always fun to see Rickles sit down across from Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, or David Letterman in his later years. It provided a nice bridge between the older days of show business and the odd promotion machine that it has become today. While he didn’t try to play games or create viral moments, Rickles was able to still entertain using his classic routine.
While Kimmel’s video is a fitting tribute just from his show, this clip captures the full picture of how long Rickles has been insulting people and getting smiles in return.
(Via Jimmy Kimmel Live)
