Al Franken apparently cut from David Letterman's new Netflix series

After months of super-secret tapings and internet leaks, last Friday Netflix finally broke its silence on David Letterman's new series, titled My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. According to the online streamer, the six-part monthly interview series will kick off Jan 12 with Letterman interviewing Barack Obama in his first post-presidency TV interview. Netflix also confirmed a string of other high-profile guests set to appear in later episodes: George Clooney, Malala Yousafzai, Jay-Z, Tina Fey and Howard Stern.

Conspicuously missing from Letterman's guest list: Al Franken. This, despite the fact that the two were spotted filming a segment for the series at the Afro Deli in St Paul, Minnesota in October.

As we've previously reported, the Franken segment is said to have focused on the restaurant's owner, Abdirahman Kahin, an immigrant from Djibouti whose success has come to represent the promise of Minnesota's large population of Somali immigrants. (Kahin accompanied Franken to President Obama's 2016 State of the Union speech.)

From left: Muna Abdullahi, Sen. Al Franken, Afro Deli owner Abdirahman Kahin, David Letterman, and Afro Deli executive chef Moussa Doualeh (Photo: Afro Deli)

Of course, all of this was before Franken accused of inappropriate contact with several women, ultimately leading to his resignation from the Senate, but notably *not* from public life. Upon announcing his resignation on Dec 7, Franken said "I may be resigning my seat, but I am not giving up my voice. I will continue to stand up for the things I believe in as a citizen, and as an activist."

But even if those comments would seem to leave the door open a crack for a redemptive appearance on his old friend's new show, if such a thing was ever under consideration, for now all parties are mum. (A Franken aide told the Star Tribune last week that he's focused on his family for now.)

Assuming Franken's appearance on the new Letterman series does in fact end up on the cutting room floor, it won't be the first time the former Senator has been cut from a Letterman project. Franken's appearance at Letterman's Mark Twain Prize ceremony in November was also snipped out at the last minute when the allegations against him broke days before its airing. (That appearance has since surfaced online, thanks to Letterman archivist Don Giller.)