Al Franken 'will not appear substantially' when PBS broadcasts David Letterman tribute

Lorena Blas | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption TV host David Letterman honored with Mark Twain Prize Steve Martin, Martin Short, Al Franken and more honor ex-talk show host David Letterman with the Mark Twain Prize for American humor. (Oct. 23)

No joke: Al Franken is being edited out. As much as possible, that is.

PBS has confirmed with USA TODAY that it will broadcast an updated version of David Letterman: The Mark Twain Prize on Monday (8 p.m. ET/PT; check local listings). The ceremony was taped at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Oct. 22.

"Senator Al Franken participated in the event, but will not appear substantially in the PBS program airing nationally," says a statement sent to USA TODAY by Cecily Van Praagh, WETA national programming publicist.

Related: David Letterman honored with Mark Twain Prize

Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, is under intense scrutiny after accusations of sexual misconduct were reported last week. He apologized Thursday after Los Angeles radio anchor Leeann Tweeden wrote online that in 2006 during a USO Tour, Franken "put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth." The incident took place back stage when the two were practicing their lines for a skit written by Franken, who was then a comedian.

TVLine.com first reported the PBS update.

If you have ever experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct while working in the entertainment industry, we’d like to hear from you. Send us a secure tip using the instructions at newstips.usatoday.com.