"Aw, she's tearing up a little bit"

David Letterman Faces Backlash After Rough Lindsay Lohan Interview Resurfaces

David Letterman has come under fire after an interview with Lindsay Lohan on his talk show resurfaced over the weekend. Many are calling the 2013 interview insensitive and sexist, as Letterman is seen making light of Lohan's addiction struggles and rehab stays. The video gained attention amid discourse on the mistreatment of women celebrities in the media, sparked by a headline-making documentary on Britney Spears.

Social media users are getting behind Lindsay Lohan after a rough interview with David Letterman resurfaced over the weekend.

The 2013 Late Show interview came as Lohan was promoting her film Scary Movie 5. But, as the video shows, Letterman was mostly interested in questioning Lohan on substance abuse issues and rehab stays, leaving her visibly uncomfortable and teary-eyed by the end of it.

Video: David Letterman-Lindsay Lohan 2013 interview

The Lohan interview lasted close to 15 minutes, but an edited version went viral this week, highlighting the most "horrifying" moments of the appearance. "Aren't you supposed to be in rehab now?" Letterman asks, to which a surprised Lohan responds, "Do you not watch anything that goes on — are you a tabloid now?"

Letterman then asks how long she'll be in rehab and how many times she's been there already, before adding, "How will this time be different? What are they rehabbing, first of all. What is on their list? What are they gonna work on when you walk through the door?" The extended questioning prompts Lohan to say, "We didn't discuss this in the pre-interview," while much of the exchange is met with laughter from the audience.

"Do you have addiction problems?" Letterman later asks. "Do you have alcohol problems — do you drink too much?" With emotion in her voice, Lohan interrupts the insistent questioning, saying, "Let's — we're here for a movie. Let's stay on the positive."

The edited clip closes with Lohan thwarting a joke that would have seen Letterman confront her with a list of "things" she had "endured." Lohan says, "We're not doing that," tearing up as she tells Letterman to "Stop." In the full interview, she's then asked to introduce a clip from Scary Movie 5, which she does.

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David Letterman faces backlash over resurfaced interview

Some defended Letterman's actions in the interview, suggesting it was "a bit" or that he was trying to get Lohan to take her issues seriously in the style of an intervention. Critics, however, highlighted Letterman's sexism, his use of Lohan's well-documented struggles as a punchline, and his poor taste in making light of a guest's personal issues.

Lindsay Lohan exits David Letterman interview in 2013.

The resurfaced interview came in a week where the media's mistreatment of women celebrities was under the microscope, brought on by the release of a documentary on Britney Spears. The backlash led her ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, to apologize for his complicity in the events.

Earlier in the week, another video had gone viral of late-night host Craig Ferguson refusing to mock Spears during her struggles and discussing his own sobriety, leading many to observe a contrast to Letterman's approach during his interview with Lohan.