‘Horrifying’ Lindsay Lohan interview with David Letterman from 2013 resurfaces

A 2013 interview between talk show host David Letterman and actor Lindsay Lohan has sparked controversy on social media after it resurfaced on Twitter on Saturday.

Lohan, who has a well-documented history of addiction, is frequently asked about her stints in rehab during the interview, with Letterman often using the subject as a punchline for jokes, which elicits some pockets of laughter from the studio audience.

After being asked if she is supposed to be in rehab, Lohan informs the host that she is due to check into a facility in the near future but that isn’t the end of questions on the issue. “What are they rehab-ing? What is on their list? What are they going to work on when you walk through the door?” the host asks with Lohan appearing to become more and more uncomfortable.

Lohan attempts to change the subject but explaining to Letterman that this issue was not brought up in their pre-interview but the former Late Show host continues to prod asking her what kind of addictions she has to which Lohan informs him that they have discussed this subject before which prompts a ‘blackout’ joke from Letterman.

Letterman then continues to try and make light of the subject but Lohan protests that he shouldn’t be making jokes of this manner and when trying to stop causes more laughter from the audience. At the end of the clip, the Mean Girls and FreakyFriday star can be seen tearing up.

The clip was shared by Trey Taylor, the US editor of The Face, who called it “horrifying to watch now.”

Some did point out that Letterman did give Lohan some minor compliments for being brave enough to come out on national television and talk about her problems.

The footage has already been viewed more than 5 million times since it was shared on Saturday, with many people echoing Taylor’s thoughts.

Some did praise Lohan for how well she handled the situation.

This footage has come to light in the wake of the stories surrounding Britney Spears and her own issues which have been highlighted in the documentary Framing Britney Spears. Earlier this week a clip of another late US TV show host, Craig Ferguson went viral after he admitted in 2007 that he was going to stop making jokes about Spears out of respect for the singer.

Deadline reports that Letterman is yet to respond to the criticism.

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