David Letterman blames Jay Leno for terrorist threats

Danger? David Letterman laughs in the face of danger. The Late Show host is back from a two week vacation and responding to death threats from a Muslim extremist in high comedic style.

The extremist who called for Letterman's tongue to be cut out is as-of-yet unnamed -- but Letterman says he knows exactly who it is.

"Everybody knows it's Leno," Letterman joked, placing the blame on Tonight Show host and longtime rival Jay Leno.

"A guy, a radical extremist threatened to cut my tongue out," Letterman explained to the audience. "I wish I had a nickel for every time a guy has threatened -- I think the first time was during the Academy Awards," he said, referring to his critically panned hosting gig in 1995.

"Why is the staff in such a good mood? ... Some people get Emmy nominations; some people get death threats ... How can someone be so angry at a time when Kim Kardashian is so happy?" Just a few of the mocking entries on the night's Top Ten list.

Watch David Letterman joke about death threats:

Image courtesy CBS