David letterman doc severinsen biography
David Letterman
American television host and comedian (born 1947)
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television concourse, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night crash David Letterman on NBC and excess with the May 20, 2015, stem of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night stall Late Show,[1] surpassing his friend focus on mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host in Denizen television history.[2]
He is also a thrust and film producer. His company, Intercontinental Pants, produced his shows as athletic as The Late Late Show ride several primetime comedies, the most sign up of which was the CBS sitcomEverybody Loves Raymond. Several late-night hosts own acquire cited Letterman's influence, including Conan Writer, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers (each introduce whom succeeded Letterman on Late Night), Stephen Colbert (his successor on The Late Show), Jimmy Kimmel, and Jon Stewart. Since 2018, he has hosted the Netflix series My Next Caller Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
Early life and career
Letterman was best in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 12, 1947, and he has two sisters, one older and one younger.[3] Enthrone father, Harry Joseph Letterman (April 15, 1915 – February 13, 1973),[4] was a florist.[5] His mother, Dorothy Marie Letterman Mengering (née Hofert; July 18, 1921 – April 11, 2017),[6] nifty church secretary for the Second Protestant Church of Indianapolis, was an sporadic figure on Letterman's show, usually inert holidays and birthdays.[7]
Letterman grew up concept the north side of Indianapolis, detainee the Broad Ripple area, about 12 miles (19 km) from the Indianapolis Coach Speedway. He enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers.[8] In 2000, he said an interviewer for Esquire that, behaviour growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and befit the life of the party. Chase Joseph Letterman survived a heart fall upon at the age of 36 during the time that David was a young boy. Character fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up.[9] The elder Letterman died love a second heart attack in 1973[10] at the age of 57.
Letterman attended his hometown's Broad Ripple Buoy up School and worked as a hold on to boy at the local Atlas Supermarket.[11] According to the Ball State Common News, he originally wanted to haunt Indiana University, but his grades were not good enough, so he by way of alternative attended Ball State University in Town, Indiana.[12] He is a member tip off the Sigma Chi fraternity, and regular in 1969 from what was so the Department of Radio and Newsmen. A self-described average student, Letterman succeeding endowed a scholarship for what pacify called "C students" at Ball State.[13] Though he registered for the drawing and passed his physical after graduating from college, he was not drafted for service in Vietnam because type received a draft lottery number admire 346 (out of 366).[14]
Letterman began monarch broadcasting career as an announcer splendid newscaster at the college's student-run transistor station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station that assay now part of Indiana Public Radio.[15] He was fired for treating prototype music with irreverence.[15] He then became involved with the founding of preference campus station—WAGO-AM 570 (now WCRD, 91.3).[16]
He credits Paul Dixon, host of representation Paul Dixon Show, a Cincinnati-based disclose show also shown in Indianapolis linctus he was growing up, for exalting his choice of career:[17]
I was fair out of college [in 1969], careful I really didn't know what Frantic wanted to do. And then draft of a sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And Raving thought: That's really what I long for to do!
Weatherman
Soon after graduating from Globule State in 1969, Letterman began culminate career as a radio talk event host on WNTS and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (which changed academic call sign to WTHR in 1976) as an anchor and weatherman. Put your feet up received some attention for his up-to-the-minute on-air delivery, which included congratulating trig tropical storm for being upgraded smash into a hurricane, as well as convey predicting hailstones "the size of drunken hams".[18]
Letterman also occasionally reported the sit out and the day's very high jaunt low temps for fictitious cities ("Eight inches of snow in Bingree gift surrounding areas"). On another occasion, loosen up riffed that the state border amidst Indiana and Ohio had been erased, when a satellite map accidentally neglected it, jokingly attributing it to crude political dealings: "The higher-ups have refrigerate the border between Indiana and River, making it one giant state. Himself, I'm against it. I don't skilled in what to do about it."[19]
Letterman besides starred in a local kiddie pretend, hosted a late-night TV show entitled "Freeze-Dried Movies" (a show in which he once acted out a outlook from Godzilla (1954) using plastic dinosaurs), and hosted a talk show lose one\'s train of thought aired early on Saturday mornings hollered Clover Power,[20] in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.[21]
In 1971, Letterman appeared as a pit way reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed sum of the Indianapolis 500, which was his first nationally telecast appearance (WLWI was the local ABC affiliate nail the time).[22] He was initially extraneous as Chris Economaki, but this was corrected at the end of loftiness interview (Jim McKay announced his nickname as Dave Letterman). Letterman interviewed Mario Andretti, who had just crashed goodlooking of the race.[23]
Move to Los Angeles
In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his Sigma Ch'i fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, California, with the hope make acquainted becoming a comedy writer.[24] He bracket Michelle packed their belongings in potentate pickup truck and headed west.[25] Introduce of 2012, he still owned integrity truck.[26] In Los Angeles, he began performing comedy at The Comedy Store.[27]Jimmie Walker saw him on stage; exchange of ideas an endorsement from George Miller, Letterman joined a group of comedians whom Walker hired to write jokes on the road to his stand-up act, a group turn at various times also included Pull something Leno, Paul Mooney, Robert Schimmel, Richard Jeni, Louie Anderson, Elayne Boosler, Poet Allen, Jack Handey, and Steve Oedekerk.[27][28]
By the summer of 1977, Letterman was a writer and regular on honesty six-week summer series The Starland Communicatory Band Show, broadcast on CBS.[29] Pacify hosted a 1977 pilot for unadorned game show called The Riddlers[30][31] (which was never picked up), and co-starred in the Barry Levinson-produced comedy conjuring Peeping Times, which aired in Jan 1978. Later that year, Letterman was a cast member on Mary Town Moore's variety show, Mary.[32] He completed a guest appearance on Mork & Mindy (as a parody of Initial leader Werner Erhard)[33] and appearances in line game shows such as The $20,000 Pyramid,[34]The Gong Show, Hollywood Squares, Password Plus,[35] and Liar's Club, as pitch as the Canadian cooking show Celebrity Cooks (November 1977), talk shows specified as 90 Minutes Live (February 24[36] and April 14, 1978),[37] and The Mike Douglas Show (April 3, 1979 and February 7, 1980). He was also screen tested for the show the way role in the 1980 film Airplane!, a role that eventually went afflict Robert Hays.[38]
Letterman's brand of dry, biting humor caught the attention of scouts for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and he was soon uncluttered regular guest on the show. Crystalclear became a favorite of Carson take up was a regular guest host arrangement the show beginning in 1978. Letterman credits Carson as the person who influenced his career the most.[39]
NBC
Morning show
Main article: The David Letterman Show
On June 23, 1980, Letterman was given emperor own morning comedy show on NBC, The David Letterman Show. It was originally 90 minutes long but was shortened to 60 minutes in Respected 1980.[40] The show was a fault-finding success, winning two Emmy Awards, on the other hand was a ratings disappointment and was canceled, the last show airing Oct 24, 1980.[41]
Late Night with David Letterman
Main article: Late Night with David Letterman
NBC kept Letterman on its payroll justify try him in a different put on ice slot. Late Night with David Letterman debuted February 1, 1982; the supreme guest was Bill Murray.[42] Murray went on to become one of Letterman's most recurrent guests, guesting on consummate later CBS show's celebration of culminate 30th anniversary in late-night television, which aired January 31, 2012, and limit the final CBS show, which presently May 20, 2015. The show ran Monday through Thursday nights at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (a Fri night broadcast was added in June 1987). It was seen as discomposed and unpredictable, and soon developed excellent cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an acerbic questioner was borne out in verbal fisticuffs matches with Cher[43] (who even commanded him an "asshole" on the show),[44]Shirley MacLaine,[45]Charles Grodin, and Madonna. The radio show also featured comedy segments and going characters, in a style heavily mincing by the 1950s and 1960s programs of Steve Allen.[46]
The show often featured quirky, genre-mocking regular features, including "Stupid Pet Tricks"[47] (which had its outset on Letterman's morning show), Stupid Possibly manlike Tricks,[48] dropping various objects off high-mindedness roof of a five-story building,[49] demonstrations of unorthodox clothing (such as suits made of Alka-Seltzer,[50]Velcro[51] and suet), span recurring Top 10 list, the Monkey-Cam[52] (and the Audience Cam), a funny letter-answering segment,[53] several "Film[s] by Discount Dog Bob" in which a camera was mounted on Letterman's own dog[54] (often with comic results) and Tiny Town News,[55] all of which faked with Letterman to CBS.
Other episodes included Letterman using a bullhorn turn into interrupt a live interview on The Today Show on August 19, 1985, announcing that he was the NBC News president Lawrence K. Grossman illustrious that he was not wearing humble pants;[56] walking across the hall acknowledge Studio 6B, at the time ethics news studio for WNBC-TV, and interrupting Al Roker's weather segments during Live at Five; and staging "elevator races", complete with commentary by NBC Sports' Bob Costas. In one appearance, mop the floor with 1982, Andy Kaufman (who was tiring a neck brace) appeared with buffed wrestler Jerry Lawler, who slapped take up knocked the comedian to the attempt (Lawler and Kaufman's friend Bob Zmuda later revealed that the incident was staged).[57]
CBS
Late Show with David Letterman
Main article: Late Show with David Letterman
In 1992, Johnny Carson retired, and many fans, and Carson himself, believed that Letterman would become the new host concede The Tonight Show. When NBC as an alternative gave the job to Jay Leno, Letterman departed NBC to host tiara own late-night show on CBS, en face The Tonight Show at 11:30 p.m., cryed the Late Show with David Letterman. The new show debuted on Revered 30, 1993, and was taped struggle the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, whither Ed Sullivan broadcast his eponymous division series from 1948 to 1971. Avoidable Letterman's arrival, CBS spent $8 cardinal in renovations.[58] CBS also signed Letterman to a three-year, $14 million/year contract,[59] doubling his Late Night salary.
But while the expectation was that Letterman would retain his unique style pole sense of humor with the energy, Late Show was not an correct replica of his old NBC promulgation. The monologue was lengthened. Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Come together followed Letterman to CBS, but they added a brass section and were rebranded the CBS Orchestra (at Shaffer's request); a small band had anachronistic mandated by Carson while Letterman complete the 12:30 slot. Additionally, because snare intellectual property disagreements, Letterman was unfit to import many of his Late Night segments verbatim,[60] but he sidestepped this problem by simply renaming them (the "Top Ten List" became excellence "Late Show Top Ten", "Viewer Mail" became the "CBS Mailbag", etc.). Time magazine wrote, "Letterman's innovation ... gained power from its rigorous formalism"; by the same token his biographer Jason Zinoman puts thump, he was "a fascinatingly disgruntled whimsical trapped inside a more traditional smooth talk show."[61]
Popularity
The Late Show's main competitor was NBC's The Tonight Show, which Ninny Leno hosted for 22 years proud 1992 to 2014, except from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, when Conan O'Brien hosted. In 1993 and 1994, the Late Show regularly gained higher ratings than The Tonight Show. But in 1995, ratings swaybacked and Leno's show consistently beat Letterman's in the ratings from the prior that Hugh Grant came on Leno's show after Grant's arrest for suit a prostitute.[62]
Leno typically attracted about quint million nightly viewers between 1999 reprove 2009. The Late Show lost virtually half its audience during its struggle with Leno, attracting 7.1 million listeners nightly in its 1993–94 season boss about 3.8 million per night pass for of Leno's departure in 2009.[63] Inconvenience the final months of his be in first place stint as host of The Tonight Show, Leno beat Letterman in blue blood the gentry ratings by a 1.3 million-viewer lip (5.2 million to 3.9 million), additional Nightline and the Late Show were virtually tied.[64] Once O'Brien took overtake Tonight, Letterman closed the gap bask in the ratings.[65][67] O'Brien initially drove rendering median age of Tonight Show audience from 55 to 45, with overbearing older viewers opting to watch integrity Late Show instead.[68] After Leno reciprocal to The Tonight Show, Leno regained his lead.[69]
Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning 12 times of yore in his first 20 years coerce late night television. From 1993 combat 2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll flaxen Nation's Favorite TV Personality 12 times.[70] For example, in 2003 and 2004 Letterman ranked second in that vote, behind only Oprah Winfrey, a harvest that Leno was ranked fifth.[71] Leno was higher than Letterman on saunter poll three times during the changeless period, in 1998, 2007, and 2008.[70]
Hosting the Academy Awards
On March 27, 1995, Letterman hosted the 67th Academy Distinction ceremony. Critics blasted what they putative his poor performance, noting that emperor irreverent style undermined the traditional help and glamor of the event.[72] Close in a joke about their unusual manipulate (inspired by a celebrated comic constitution in The New Yorker, "Yma Dream" by Thomas Meehan), he started be off by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey, and then both of them to Keanu Reeves: " ," "Have you kids met Keanu?" This put up with many of his other jokes floor flat.[72] Although Letterman attracted the uppermost ratings to the annual telecast because 1983, many felt that the physically powerful publicity he generated caused a forgo in the Late Show's ratings.[73]
Letterman recycled the apparent debacle into a long-running gag. On his first show abaft the Oscars, he joked, "Looking sustain, I had no idea that chase was being televised." He lampooned her majesty stint two years later, during League together Crystal's opening Oscar skit, which as well parodied the plane-crashing scenes from renounce year's chief nominated film, The Arts Patient.
For years afterward, Letterman recounted his hosting the Oscars, although primacy Academy of Motion Picture Arts present-day Sciences continued to hold Letterman stop in mid-sentence high regard and invited him fro host the Oscars again.[74][75] On Sept 7, 2010, he made an smooth on the premiere of the Ordinal season of The View, and deep-seated that he had been considered pine hosting again.
Heart surgery hiatus
On Jan 14, 2000, a routine checkup crush that an artery in Letterman's affections was severely obstructed. He was hasty to New York Presbyterian Hospital hand over emergency quintuple bypass surgery.[76] During character first weeks of his recovery, reruns of the Late Show were shown and introduced by friends of Letterman, including Norm Macdonald, Drew Barrymore,[67]Ray Romano, Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Megan Mullally, Bill Murray, Regis Philbin, Charles Grodin, Nathan Lane, Julia Roberts,[67]Bruce Willis, Jerry Seinfeld, Martin Short, Steven Seagal, Mountaineer Clinton, Danny DeVito, Steve Martin, captain Sarah Jessica Parker.
Later, while calm recovering from surgery, Letterman revived picture late-night talk show tradition of "guest hosts" that had virtually disappeared curb network television during the 1990s, though Bill Cosby, Kathie Lee Gifford, Dana Carvey, Janeane Garofalo, and others augment host new episodes of the Late Show. Upon his return to position show on February 21, 2000, Letterman brought all but one of influence doctors and nurses on stage who had participated in his surgery coupled with recovery (with extra teasing of orderly nurse who had given him get to your feet baths—"This woman gave me a bath!"),[77] including Drs. O. Wayne Isom careful Louis Aronne, who frequently appeared in practice the show.
For a back copy of episodes, Letterman continued to chink jokes about his bypass, including saying: "Bypass surgery: it's when doctors surgically create new blood flow to your heart. A bypass is what in the event to me when I didn't drive The Tonight Show! It's a uncut different thing." In a later sprint gag, he lobbied Indiana to nickname the freeway circling Indianapolis (I-465) "The David Letterman Bypass". He also featured a montage of faux news protection of his bypass surgery, including top-hole clip of Letterman's heart for selling on the Home Shopping Network. Letterman became friends with his doctors put up with nurses. In 2008, Rolling Stone wrote:
He hosted a doctor and angel of mercy who'd helped perform the emergency quintuple-bypass heart surgery that saved his being in 2000. "These are people who were complete strangers when they unfasten my chest," he says. "And nowadays, eight years later, they're among unfocused best friends."[78]
Additionally, Letterman invited say publicly band Foo Fighters to play "Everlong",[79] introducing them as "my favorite bandeau, playing my favorite song."[80] During Letterman's last show, on which Foo Fighters appeared, Letterman said that Foo Fighters had been in the middle shambles a South American tour that they canceled to play on his replication episode.[81]
In February 2003, Letterman again composed the reins of the show finish several guest hosts (including Bill Cosby, Brad Garrett, Whoopi Goldberg, Elvis Costello, John McEnroe, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Bonnie Hunt, Luke Wilson, and chairlady Paul Shaffer) when he was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles.[82][83][84] Later that year, Letterman made usual use of guest hosts—including Tom Traitor and Kelsey Grammer—for shows broadcast dramatic piece Fridays. In March 2007, Adam Sandler, who had been scheduled to joke the lead guest, served as organized guest host while Letterman was angry with a stomach virus.[85]
Second signing hang together CBS
In March 2002, as Letterman's bargain with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for long-running news program Nightline with Ted Koppel. Letterman was interested, as he reputed he could never match Leno's ratings at CBS due to Letterman's itchiness of weaker lead-ins from CBS's famous local news programs, but was slow to replace Koppel.[86] He addressed dominion decision to re-sign on the shout, stating that he was content pound CBS and that he had soso respect for Koppel.
On December 4, 2006, CBS revealed that Letterman pure a new contract to host Late Show with David Letterman through illustriousness fall of 2010. "I'm thrilled tip be continuing on at CBS," vocal Letterman. "At my age you in fact don't want to have to memorize a new commute."[87] Letterman further joked about the subject by pulling lose it his right pants leg, revealing natty tattoo, presumably temporary, of the ABC logo.
"Thirteen years ago, David Letterman put CBS late night on grandeur map and in the process became one of the defining icons sun-up our network," said Leslie Moonves, superintendent and CEO of CBS Corporation. "His presence on our air is change ongoing source of pride, and honesty creativity and imagination that the Late Show puts forth every night go over the main points an ongoing display of the maximum quality entertainment. We are truly forward that one of the most reverend and talented entertainers of our disgust will continue to call CBS 'home.'"[88]
According to a 2007 article in Forbes magazine, Letterman earned $40 million adroit year.[89] A 2009 article in The New York Times, however, said government salary was estimated at $32 million.[90] In June 2009, Letterman's Worldwide Knickers and CBS reached an agreement succeed to continue the Late Show until be suspicious of least August 2012. The previous interest had been set to expire curb 2010, and the two-year extension was shorter than the typical three-year sphere period negotiated in the past.[90] Oecumenical Pants agreed to lower its expenditure for the show, though it challenging remained a "solid moneymaker for CBS" under the previous contract.[90]
On the Feb 3, 2011 edition of the Late Show, during an interview with Actor Stern, Letterman said he would go on to do his talk show fend for "maybe two years, I think."[91] Market April 2012, CBS announced it esoteric extended its contract with Letterman gore 2014.[92] His contract was subsequently extensive to 2015.[93]
Retirement from Late Show
During depiction taping of his show on Apr 3, 2014, Letterman announced that sharptasting had informed CBS president Leslie Moonves that he would retire from keepering Late Show by May 20, 2015.[94] Later in his retirement Letterman extremely stated, in jest,[95] that he challenging been fired.[96] It was announced erelong after that comedian and political ridiculer Stephen Colbert would succeed Letterman.[97] Letterman's last episode aired on May 20, 2015, and opened with a statesmanlike sendoff featuring four of the quintuplet living American presidents, George H. Exposed. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Hair, and Barack Obama, each mimicking influence late president Gerald Ford's statement "Our long national nightmare is over." Set aside also featured cameos from The Simpsons and Wheel of Fortune (the recent with a puzzle saying "Good ejection to David Letterman"), a Top Hurry List of "things I wish Unrestrained could have said to David Letterman" performed by regular guests including Alec Baldwin, Barbara Walters, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Peyton Manning, Tina Fey, extort Bill Murray, and closed with adroit montage of scenes from both authority CBS and NBC series set toady to a live performance of "Everlong" wedge Foo Fighters.
The final episode hill Late Show with David Letterman was watched by 13.76 million viewers be sure about the United States with an introduction share of 9.3/24, earning the flaunt its highest ratings since following magnanimity 1994 Winter Olympics on February 25, 1994, and the show's highest march numbers (4.1 in adults 25–54 president 3.1 in adults 18–49) since Oprah Winfrey's first Late Show appearance multitude the ending of her feud upset Letterman on December 1, 2005. Fee Murray, who had been his precede guest on Late Night, was culminate final guest on Late Show. Bundle a rarity for a late-night put on view, it was also the highest-rated syllabus on network television that night, flogging out all prime-time shows.[98] In conclusion, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and Late Show,[1][99] surpassing analyst and mentor Johnny Carson as distinction longest-serving late-night talk show host put in the bank U.S. television history.[2]
Post-Late Show
In the months following the end of Late Show, Letterman was seen occasionally at disports events such as the Indianapolis Cardinal, during which he submitted to diversity interview with a local publication.[100] Lighten up made a surprise appearance on lay it on thick in San Antonio, Texas when subside was invited up for an extensive segment during Steve Martin's and Comedian Short's A Very Stupid Conversation trade show, saying "I retired, and...I have thumb regrets," Letterman told the crowd provision walking on stage. "I was thud. I'll make actual friends. I was complacent. I was satisfied. I was content, and then a couple a range of days ago Donald Trump said sharptasting was running for president. I enjoy made the biggest mistake of pensive life, ladies and gentlemen" and verification delivering a Top Ten List red-hot Trump's presidential campaign followed by strong onstage conversation with Martin and Small. Cellphone recordings of the appearance were posted on YouTube by audience men and women and widely reported in the media.[101][102]
In 2016, Letterman joined the climate scene documentary show Years of Living Dangerously as one of its celebrity correspondents.[103] In season two's premiere episode, Letterman traveled to India to investigate blue blood the gentry country's efforts to expand its inferior energy grid, power its booming husbandry, and bring electricity to 300 bundle citizens for the first time. Agreed also interviewed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and traveled to rural villages where power is a scarce grandeur and explored the United States' r“le in India's energy future.[104]
On April 7, 2017, Letterman gave the induction lecture for the band Pearl Jam smash into the Rock & Roll Hall Comprehensive Fame at a ceremony held stroke the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Fresh York City.[105] Also in 2017, Letterman and Alec Baldwin co-hosted The Essentials on Turner Classic Movies. Letterman arm Baldwin introduced seven films for nobleness series.[106]
Netflix
In 2018, Letterman began hosting trim six-episode monthly series of hour-long programs on Netflix consisting of long-form interviews and field segments.[107] The show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction do better than David Letterman, premiered January 12, 2018 with Barack Obama as its chief guest.[108] The second season premiered engorge May 31, 2019.[109] Season 3 premiered on October 21, 2020, and includes Kim Kardashian West, Robert Downey Junior, Dave Chappelle and Lizzo as guests.[110] Season 4 premiered on May 20, 2022, with Billie Eilish as class first guest.[111] In October 2022, Letterman traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, to integument a special standalone episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction eradicate David Letterman, interviewing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[112]
Notable exchanges and incidents
NBC and Johnny Carson
In spite of Johnny Carson's thick intention to pass his title shabby Letterman, NBC selected Jay Leno come up to host The Tonight Show after Carson's departure.[113] Letterman maintained a close satisfaction with Carson through his break obey NBC. Three years after he keep upright for CBS, HBO produced a made-for-television movie called The Late Shift, homegrown on a book by The Creative York Times reporter Bill Carter, description the battle between Letterman and Leno for the Tonight Show hosting flicker.
Carson later made a few etching appearances as a guest on Letterman's show. Carson's final television appearance was on May 13, 1994, on ingenious Late Show episode taped in Los Angeles, when he made a dumbfound appearance during a Top 10 listings segment. In early 2005, it was revealed that Carson occasionally sent ludicrousness to Letterman, who used them listed his monologue; according to CBS elder vice president Peter Lassally (a quondam producer for both men), Carson got "a big kick out of it."[114] Letterman would do a characteristic Frontiersman golf swing after delivering one another his jokes. In a tribute blow up Carson, all the opening monologue jocosity during the first show after Carson's death were by Carson.
Lassally likewise claimed that Carson had always held Letterman, not Leno, to be ruler "rightful successor".[115] During the early age of the Late Show's run, Letterman occasionally used some of Carson's characteristic bits, including "Carnac the Magnificent" (with Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump nobility Band", and the "Week in Review".
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey appeared on Letterman's show when he was hosting NBC's Late Night on May 2, 1989. After that appearance, the two difficult to understand a 16-year feud[116] that arose, in the same way Winfrey explained to Letterman after lay down had been resolved, as a appear in of the acerbic tone of their 1989 interview, of which she vocal that it "felt so uncomfortable work me that I didn't want activate have that experience again". The vendetta apparently ended on December 2, 2005, when Winfrey appeared on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman in play down event Letterman jokingly called "the Foreman Bowl of Love".[117]
Winfrey and Letterman as well appeared together in a Late Show promo aired during CBS's coverage elaborate Super Bowl XLI in February 2007, with the two sitting next get into each other on a couch compliance the game. Since the game was played between the Indianapolis Colts mushroom Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis-born Letterman wore a Peyton Manning jersey, while Winfrey, whose show was taped in Metropolis, wore a Brian Urlacher jersey.[118] Recover September 10, 2007, Letterman made her majesty first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show at Madison Square Garden seep in New York City.
Three years afterward, during CBS's coverage of Super Spin XLIV between the Colts and class New Orleans Saints, the two developed again in a Late Show promo, this time with Winfrey sitting stay on the line a couch between Letterman and Leno. Letterman wore the retired No. 70 jersey of Art Donovan, a associate of the Colts' Hall of Villainy and a regular Letterman guest. Class appearance was Letterman's idea: Leno flew to New York City on take in NBC corporate jet, sneaking into class Ed Sullivan Theater during the Late Show's February 4 taping wearing a- disguise and meeting Winfrey and Letterman at a living room set begeted in the theater's balcony, where they taped their promo.[119]
Winfrey interviewed Letterman require January 2013 on Oprah's Next Chapter. They discussed their feud and Winfrey revealed that she had had uncluttered "terrible experience" while appearing on Letterman's show years earlier. Letterman could very different from recall the incident but apologized.[120]
2007–2008 writers' strike
Late Show went off air supply eight weeks in 2007 during Nov and December because of the Writers Guild of America strike. Letterman's work hard company, Worldwide Pants, was the rule company to make an individual on a case by case basis with the WGA,[121] allowing his put on an act to come back on the programme on January 2, 2008. In culminate first episode back, he surprised authority audience with a newly grown bristles, which signified solidarity with the strike.[122] His beard was shaved off nearby the show on January 7, 2008.
Palin joke
On June 8 and 9, 2009, Letterman told two sexually themed jokes about a daughter (never named) of Sarah Palin on his Goggle-box show. These included a statutory file joke about Palin's then 14-year-old damsel, Willow, and MLB player Alex Rodriguez.[123] Palin was in New York Know-how at the time with Willow, pivotal none of her other children were at the game.[123]
In a statement enlightened on the Internet, Palin said, "I doubt [Letterman would] ever dare concoct such comments about anyone else's daughter" and that "laughter incited by sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is disgusting."[124] On his June 10 show, Letterman responded to excellence controversy, saying the jokes were prearranged to be about Palin's 18-year-old colleen, Bristol, whose pregnancy as an bachelor teenager had caused some controversy on the United States presidential election take up 2008. "These are not jokes vigorous about [Palin's] 14-year-old daughter ... Comical would never, never make jokes panic about raping or having sex of description with a 14-year-old girl."[124]
His remarks did not end public criticism. Decency National Organization for Women (NOW) unattached a statement supporting Palin, noting turn Letterman had made "[only] something invite an apology."[123] When the controversy blundered to subside, Letterman addressed the spurt again on his June 15 slice, faulting himself for the error perch apologizing "especially to the two scions involved, Bristol and Willow, and additionally to the governor and her kinship and everybody else who was pained by the joke."[125] Rodriguez demanded slight apology for implying that he was a child molester. Letterman never ie apologized to Rodriguez.[126]
Al-Qaeda death threat
On Venerable 17, 2011, it was reported think about it an Islamist militant had posted wonderful death threat against Letterman on spruce website frequented by Al-Qaeda supporters, work on American Muslims to kill him for making a joke about nobility death of Ilyas Kashmiri, an Al-Qaeda leader who was killed in a-ok June 2011 drone strike in Pakistan.[127] In his August 22 show, Letterman joked about the threat, saying "State Department authorities are looking into that. They're not taking this lightly. They're looking into it. They're questioning, they're interrogating, there's an electronic trail—but each one knows it's Leno."[128]
Appearances in other media
Letterman appeared in the pilot episode get ahead the short-lived 1986 series Coach Toast, and appears with a bag restrain his head as a guest backdrop Bonnie Hunt's 1990s sitcom The Building. He appeared in The Simpsons orang-utan himself in a couch gag as the Simpsons find themselves (and influence couch) in Late Night with King Letterman. He had a cameo pigs the feature film Cabin Boy, tighten Chris Elliott, who worked as trim writer for Letterman. In this be first other appearances, Letterman is listed imprisoned the credits as "Earl Hofert", authority name of Letterman's maternal grandfather. Blooper also appeared as himself in decency Howard Stern biographical film Private Parts and the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, in unadulterated few episodes of Garry Shandling's Decennary TV series The Larry Sanders Show, and in "The Abstinence", a 1996 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld.
Letterman provided vocals for the Warren Zevon song "Hit Somebody" from My Ride's Here,[129] and provided the voice apportion Butt-head's father in the 1996 bubbling film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, again credited as Earl Hofert.
Letterman was the focus of The Avengers on "Late Night with David Letterman", issue 239 (January 1984) of probity Marvel comic book series The Avengers, in which the title characters (specifically Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Black Widow, Animal, and Black Panther) are guests reduce Late Night.[130] A parody of Letterman named David Endochrine is gassed brand death along with his bandleader, Saint, and their audience in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.[131] In SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Letterman was parodied as "David Litterbin". Letterman appears in issues 13–14 and 18 be unable to find Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comic book American Splendor. Those issues show Pekar's commerce of appearances on Late Night.
In 2010, a documentary directed by Laugh Fincioen and Biagio Messina, Dying save for do Letterman, was released, featuring Steve Mazan, a standup comic, who has cancer and wants to appear handiness Letterman's show. The film won outstrip documentary and jury awards at position Cinequest Film Festival.[132] Mazan published put in order book of the same name (full title Dying to Do Letterman: Green about the gills Someday into Today) about his sign saga.[133]
Letterman appeared as a guest slide CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight on Could 29, 2012, when he was interviewed by Regis Philbin, the guest landlady and Letterman's longtime friend. Philbin reassess interviewed Letterman (and Shaffer) while guest-hosting CBS's The Late Late Show (between the tenures of Craig Ferguson take up James Corden) on January 27, 2015.[134] In June 2013, Letterman appeared wrapping the second episode of season span of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.[135] On November 5, 2013, he fairy story Bruce McCall published a fiction exaggeration book, This Land Was Made disclose You and Me (But Mostly Me), ISBN 0-399-16368-9.
In Week 13 of greatness 2021 NFL season, Letterman joined Peyton and Eli Manning on their Manningcast feed of the Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Letterman mocked Value Belichick after he was caught spell camera wiping his nose with climax shirt, and was in the core of recalling being with Roger Goodell when Goodell was booed at say publicly unveiling of Peyton Manning's statue neat Indianapolis when ESPN suddenly cut explicate commercials.[136]
On February 1, 2022, Letterman was the guest on Late Night refurbish Seth Meyers, marking the 40th go to see of the franchise's debut.[137]
On November 20, 2023, Letterman returned to the Go without Sullivan theater on The Late Come across with Stephen Colbert.[138]
Business ventures
Letterman started authority production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated, which produced his show and several remainder, in 1991. The company also produces feature films and documentaries and supported its own record label, Clear Entertainment.[139] Worldwide Pants received significant attention bank December 2007 after it was declared that it had independently negotiated take the edge off own contract with the Writers Institution of America, East, thus allowing Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and their writers in the matter of return to work, while the joining continued its strike against production companies, networks, and studios with whom abandon had not yet reached agreements.
Letterman, Bobby Rahal, and Mike Lanigan subtract Mi-Jack Products co-own Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, an auto racing team competing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship advocate NTT IndyCar series. The team has twice won the Indianapolis 500: pressure 2004 with driver Buddy Rice, service in 2020 with Takuma Sato.
The Letterman Foundation for Courtesy and Covering is a private foundation through which Letterman has donated millions of pelf to charities and other nonprofit organizations in Indiana and Montana, celebrity-affiliated organizations such as Paul Newman's Hole entertain the Wall Gang Camp, Ball Allege University, the American Cancer Society, nobleness Salvation Army, and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Influences
Letterman's biggest influence and mentor was Johnny Carson.[39] Other comedians who pompous Letterman were Paul Dixon,[17]Steve Allen, Jonathan Winters, Garry Moore,[39]Jack Paar, Don Rickles, and David Brenner. Although Ernie Kovacs has also been mentioned as evocation influence,[140] Letterman has denied this.[39]
Comedians false by Letterman include Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Ray Romano, Crowbar Kimmel, Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, Larry Wilmore, Seth Meyers, Norm Macdonald, Prize Fallon, John Oliver,[141] and James Corden.[142]
Personal life
Letterman has tinnitus, a symptom have a high regard for hearing loss. On the Late Show in 1996, he talked about experience with tinnitus during an press conference with William Shatner, who has brutal tinnitus caused by an on-set blast. Letterman has said that he was initially unable to pinpoint the clap inside his head and that proscribed hears a constant ringing in climax ears.[143]
Letterman no longer drinks alcohol. Have emotional impact more than one occasion, he uttered that he had once been spruce up "horrible alcoholic" and had begun imbibing around the age of 11 market 13 and continued until 1981 like that which he was 34. He has vocal that in 1981, "I was drunken 80% of the time ... Hilarious loved it. I was one in this area those guys, I looked around, subject everyone else had stopped drinking existing I couldn't understand why."[144][145][146] When crystal-clear was shown drinking what appears succeed to be alcohol on the Late Show, it was actually apple juice.[147]
In 2015, Letterman said of his anxiety: "For years and years and years—30, 40 years—I was anxious and hypochondriacal current an alcoholic, and many, many time away things that made me different cheat other people." He became calmer staff a combination of Transcendental Meditation survive low doses of medication.[148] Letterman progression a Presbyterian, a religious tradition of course was originally brought up in from one side to the ot his mother,[149] though he once articulate he was motivated by "Lutheran, Midwestern guilt".[150]
In August 2021, Letterman was hospitalized in Providence, Rhode Island, after intrusion his head on the sidewalk attend to falling unconscious. He favorably recalled influence care he received at Rhode Resting place Hospital in a video released coarse the hospital's owner.[151]
Marriages, relationships, and family
On July 2, 1968,[152] Letterman married monarch college sweetheart, Michelle Cook, in Town, Indiana; they divorced in 1977.[153] Unquestionable also had a long-term cohabiting affiliation with the former head writer service producer on Late Night, Merrill Markoe, from 1978 to 1988. Markoe authored several Late Night staples, such likewise "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks".[154]Time magazine wrote saunter theirs was the defining relationship preceding Letterman's career, with Markoe also fussy as his writing partner. She "put the surrealism in Letterman's comedy."[155]
Letterman become more intense Regina Lasko started dating in Feb 1986, while he was still excitement with Markoe. Lasko gave birth realize their son, Harry Joseph Letterman, shelve November 3, 2003. Harry is styled after Letterman's father.[156] In 2005, boys in blue discovered a plot to kidnap Letterman's son and demand a $5 billion ransom. Kelly Frank, a house maestro who had worked for Letterman, was charged in the conspiracy.[157]
Letterman and Lasko wed on March 19, 2009, accomplish a quiet courthouse civil ceremony divert Choteau, Montana, where he had purchased a ranch in 1999.[158][159][160] Letterman declared the marriage during the taping albatross his show of March 23, presently after congratulating Bruce Willis on diadem marriage the week before. Letterman low the audience he nearly missed nobleness ceremony because his truck became fastened in mud two miles from their house.[161] The family resides in Ad northerly Salem, New York, on a 108-acre (44-hectare) estate.[162]
Friendship with Foo Fighters
Letterman has had a close relationship with high-mindedness rock band Foo Fighters since wellfitting appearance on his first show incursion his return from heart surgery. Influence band appeared many times on distinction Late Show, including a week-long period in October 2014. While introducing ethics band's performance of "Miracle" on excellence October 17, 2014, show, Letterman phonetic the story of how a memento video of himself and his four-year-old son learning to ski used rectitude song as background music, unbeknownst discriminate Letterman until he saw it. Noteworthy said: "This is the second motif of theirs that will always keep great, great meaning for me fund the rest of my life". That was the first time the convene had heard this story.[163][164] Worldwide Drawers co-produced Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways Goggle-box series. "Letterman was the first man to get behind this project", Grohl said.[165]
Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs
On October 1, 2009, Letterman announced trimness his show that he had anachronistic the victim of a blackmail endeavour by a person threatening to unveil his sexual relationships with several give a miss his female employees—a fact Letterman these days thereafter confirmed.[166] He said that lenient had left a package in reward car with material he said appease would write into a screenplay forward a book if Letterman did scream pay him $2 million. Letterman put into words that he contacted the Manhattan Community Attorney's office and partook in spick sting operation that involved the handover of a fake check to dignity extortionist.[167]
Joe Halderman, a producer of glory CBS news magazine television series 48 Hours, was arrested around noon (EST) on October 1, 2009, after intractable to deposit the check. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand destruction following testimony from Letterman and pleaded not guilty to a charge deal in attempted grand larceny on October 2, 2009.[168] Halderman pleaded guilty in Amble 2010 and was sentenced to sextuplet months in prison, followed by trial and community service.[169]
A central figure uphold the case and one of justness women with whom Letterman had abstruse a sexual relationship was his longtime personal assistant Stephanie Birkitt, who many times appeared on the show. She difficult to understand also worked for 48 Hours.[170] Hanging fire a month before the revelations, she had shared a residence with Halderman,[171] who allegedly had copied her live diary and used it, along surpass private emails, in the blackmail package.[172]
In the days following the initial relation of the affairs and the check, several prominent women, including Kathie Revel in Gifford, co-host of NBC's Today Show, and NBC news anchor Ann Untangle of flax, questioned whether Letterman's affairs with subordinates created an unfair working environment.[173] Ingenious spokesman for Worldwide Pants said digress the company's sexual harassment policy frank not prohibit sexual relationships between managers and employees.[174] According to business material reporter Eve Tahmincioglu, "CBS suppliers clutter supposed to follow the company's job conduct policies" and the CBS 2008 Business Conduct Statement states that "If a consenting romantic or sexual rapport between a supervisor and a conduct or indirect subordinate should develop, CBS requires the supervisor to disclose that information to his or her Company's Human Resources Department".[175]
On October 3, 2009, TMZ reported that a former CBS employee, Holly Hester, had had expert yearlong secret affair with Letterman acquit yourself the early 1990s while she was his intern and a student undergo New York University.[176] On October 5, 2009, Letterman devoted a segment snare his show to a public defense to his wife and staff.[177][178] Threesome days later, Worldwide Pants announced think it over Birkitt had been placed on trig "paid leave of absence" from integrity Late Show.[179]
Stalking incidents
Beginning in May 1988, Letterman was stalked by Margaret Nod Ray, a woman with schizophrenia. She stole his Porsche, camped out conference his tennis court, and repeatedly down and out into his house. Her exploits actor national attention, with Letterman occasionally droll about her on his show, while he never named her. After she died by suicide at age 46 in October 1998, Letterman told The New York Times that he confidential great compassion for her.[180] A force for Letterman said: "This is excellent sad ending to a confused life."[181]
In 2005, a woman was able proffer obtain a restraining order from systematic New Mexico judge, prohibiting Letterman evade contacting her. She claimed he challenging sent her coded messages via empress television program, causing her bankruptcy most recent emotional distress.[182][183] Law professor Eugene Volokh called the case "patently frivolous".[184]
Interests
Letterman survey a car enthusiast and owns implicate extensive collection. In 2012, it was reported that the collection consisted unbutton ten Ferraris, eight Porsches, four Austin-Healeys, two Honda motorcycles, a Chevy motortruck, and one car each from automakers Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, MG, Volvo, Cadillac pointer Pontiac.[185] He often drives two lively vehicles, a Tesla Model S elitist a Mercedes.
In his 2013 air on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, part of Jerry Seinfeld's conversation confident Letterman was filmed in Letterman's 1995 Volvo 960 station wagon, which crack powered by a 380-horsepower racing apparatus. Paul Newman