Quentin Tarantino once threatened to beat David Letterman with a bat — and the reason is quite wild
David Letterman once pissed off Quentin Tarantino so much that the latter threatened to "beat the c**p out of" the television host. Letterman recalled their momentary beef while appearing on the 'Desus & Mero' talk show in 2020. The rivalry began when he interviewed a famous celebrity dating Tarantino. After learning that she was indeed courting the maverick director, Letterman showered her with fake disbelief, saying he was amazed Tarantino had been able to win over such a stunning woman. “I’m pretending that I’m stunned that this glorious movie star is dating this little ‘squirrelly guy,'” he told the hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero.
As per Decider, he continued to explain, “I was saying, ‘No, you’re not really dating Quentin Tarantino..And she said, ‘Yes, yes I am.’ Oh please, tell me this isn’t true,'” he recounted. “Wait, you got in trouble for a joke? Can’t relate,” Desus cut in astonished. The veteran host quipped, “So, I’m thinking the idea is that Quentin Tarantino is this movie store nerd from when you were able to go take out movies from the store,” he said mocking the 'Kill Bill' director's persona. When Tarantino learned about it, he took offense and called up the TV host.
"Two days later, my assistant gets a call,” he revealed. Letterman then narrated the explosive details of the infuriating call, “He starts screaming at me, ‘I’m going to beat you to death. I am going to kill you. I’m coming to New York, and I’m going to beat the c**p out of you. How can you say that about me?'” The TV host then asked his producer to pick up the other line however that did not deter Tarantino from hurling abuses and threats. Letterman described the moment as "full-blown, clinically goofy," he further dared Tarantino to choose a weapon for their altercation, "He said, ‘Bat! Give me a bat and I’ll beat the hell out of you with it!'” Letterman recounted.
The 'Pulp Fiction' director ghosted on the duel, “And that was it. We don’t hear for him for quite a while,” Letterman said. In 2009 Tarantino surprisingly showed up to promote his film 'Inglourious Basterds' on the 'Late Show with David Letterman'. But he wasn't in the mood to apologize for his toxic behavior, however, to keep things amicable his publicist initiated a truce. As per The Things, Letterman revealed that he demanded an apology from Tarantino in the dressing room before the taping of the show.
"Typically, I would not want to meet a person before the show. But this time, I went to see Quentin. I go in there and he was with his publicist… I said, ‘Remember that thing when you were going to beat me and we had a plane ticket waiting and a baseball bat ready. I think you owe me an apology.” Tarantino grudgingly obliged but he did not feel actual remorse Letterman disclosed. Throughout their interview, the 'Death Proof' director tried to hide his disdain as Letterman continuously provoked him by praising Brad Pitt, his film's star instead. After that, Tarantino never returned to the show.