60 Fun Facts About David Letterman

In which city was David Letterman born?

David Letterman was born in Indianapolis on April 12, 1947; he attended Broad Ripple High School there and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas Supermarket.

Letterman graduated in 1969 from which university, where he later endowed a scholarship for 'C students'?

Letterman graduated from Ball State in 1969, studying in what was then the Department of Radio and Television in Muncie, Indiana; he later funded a scholarship for C-average students.

As a young Indiana TV weatherman, Letterman drew attention for doing what on air?

Congratulating a tropical storm on becoming a hurricane was one of his on-air stunts at station WLWI, along with reporting hail 'the size of canned hams'; that offbeat delivery foreshadowed his talk-show style.

In 1975 Letterman moved to Los Angeles and began performing stand-up at which Los Angeles club?

Letterman began performing stand-up at The Comedy Store after moving west in 1975; his then-wife Michelle and several Sigma Chi fraternity brothers encouraged the move.

Letterman's first NBC show, The David Letterman Show, aired in 1980 in what time slot?

Weekday mornings at 10 a.m. was its slot: The David Letterman Show ran from June to October 1980, won two Emmys but flopped in the ratings and was cancelled that autumn.

On what date did Late Night with David Letterman premiere on NBC?

Late Night premiered on February 1, 1982, running Monday through Thursday at 12:30 a.m., directly after Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.

Who was the very first guest on Late Night in 1982, and also the last guest on Late Show in 2015?

Bill Murray was the first guest when Late Night premiered in 1982 and was also Letterman's final guest in May 2015, when he popped out of a giant cake.

Late Night was broadcast from Studio 6A in which New York building?

Late Night came from Studio 6A at 30 Rockefeller Plaza; Conan O'Brien inherited the studio and the time slot when Letterman left for CBS in 1993.

What was the name of Paul Shaffer's musical group on Late Night?

Paul Shaffer led The World's Most Dangerous Band on Late Night; Carson Productions barred it from having a horn section, to keep it distinct from Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show orchestra.

What was the topic of the very first Top Ten List, on September 18, 1985?

The first list, on September 18, 1985, was 'Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas'; NBC later claimed the segment as its intellectual property when Letterman jumped to CBS.

Which restriction did Carson Productions impose on Late Night to protect The Tonight Show?

No sidekick like Ed McMahon was allowed by Carson Productions on Late Night, and Shaffer's band was also barred from having a horn section, to keep the show distinct from Carson's.

Actor Calvert DeForest played which oddball recurring character on Late Night?

Calvert DeForest played Larry 'Bud' Melman; NBC asserted rights to the character when Letterman left, so at CBS DeForest appeared under his own name.

Chris Elliott started on Late Night as a production assistant in charge of which segment?

He was promoted to writer and became one of the show's most memorable on-camera weirdos.

Which former partner of Letterman's created many Late Night staples, including the viewers' animals segment?

Merrill Markoe, Late Night's first head writer, devised many of its signature segments; she and Letterman were a couple from 1978 to 1988.

Which guest's Late Night appearances frightened Letterman with nearly violent, confrontational behaviour?

Crispin Glover's 1987 visit, complete with platform shoes and a near-kick at the host's head, made Letterman walk off the set and remains a late-night legend.

When Johnny Carson retired in 1992, NBC gave The Tonight Show to whom instead of Letterman?

NBC chose Jay Leno to succeed Carson in 1992; Carson himself had expected Letterman to get the job, and Letterman left for CBS instead.

Late Show with David Letterman was taped in which historic Manhattan theatre?

Late Show came from The Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway; CBS bought the building for about $4 million and spent millions more renovating it before the 1993 debut.

What was the annual salary in Letterman's first three-year CBS contract in 1993?

Letterman's first three-year CBS contract, signed in 1993, paid $14 million a year, about $42 million over the three years.

Who performed the first musical act on Late Show's 1993 debut episode?

Billy Joel performed 'No Man's Land' on the August 30, 1993 premiere of Late Show, which drew about 23 million viewers.

Which announcer took over from Bill Wendell in 1995 and stayed until Late Show ended?

Alan Kalter became Late Show's announcer in 1995 and stayed until the final episode in 2015; Bill Wendell had announced Late Night at NBC and followed Letterman to CBS for two years.

Rupert Jee, a frequent Late Show foil, owned what business next door to the theatre?

A deli: Rupert Jee's Hello Deli sat at 213 W. 53rd Street, steps from the theatre's stage door, and Jee became a recurring on-camera foil.

What was Biff Henderson's job on the Letterman shows?

Stage manager was Biff Henderson's job, carried over from Late Night to Late Show; he became an on-camera regular in the process.

Which pop star's profanity-laced 1994 Late Show appearance became one of its most notorious?

Madonna swore more than a dozen times during her March 1994 visit, one of the most notorious guest appearances in Late Show history.

Which actress climbed onto Letterman's desk and flashed him on his birthday in April 1995?

Drew Barrymore danced on the desk and flashed Letterman on April 12, 1995, his 48th birthday.

Letterman hosted the Academy Awards once, in March 1995. What was the Best Picture winner that night?

Critics savaged his hosting, but 48 million viewers made it the most-watched Oscars since 1983.

What emergency surgery did Letterman undergo in January 2000?

Quintuple bypass surgery on January 14, 2000 kept Letterman off the air for more than a month; when he returned in February he brought the doctors and nurses who treated him on stage.

Which singer-songwriter, dying of cancer, was the sole guest for a whole October 2002 episode?

Warren Zevon, then dying of mesothelioma, filled the whole October 30, 2002 episode; his advice to viewers, 'enjoy every sandwich', later titled a tribute album.

Which news anchor appeared on Letterman's emotional first show back after the September 11 attacks?

Dan Rather wept on the September 17, 2001 broadcast, which also featured Regis Philbin and was hailed as one of the most honest moments in TV history.

In 2009 a CBS News producer tried to blackmail Letterman over staff affairs for how much?

Joe Halderman demanded $2 million to keep quiet; he pleaded guilty and got six months in jail after Letterman disclosed the plot on air.

The 2009 extortionist, Joe Halderman, was a producer on which CBS programme?

Halderman was a producer on the newsmagazine 48 Hours; he presented his threat to expose Letterman's affairs as a screenplay treatment.

What is the name of Letterman's production company, founded in 1991?

Worldwide Pants, founded in 1991, produced Late Show as well as The Late Late Show and several prime-time comedies.

Which hit CBS sitcom was the most successful prime-time show produced by Letterman's company?

Everybody Loves Raymond, co-produced by Letterman's company, ran on CBS for nine seasons and ended in 2005.

Who won the 2004 Indy 500 driving for the IndyCar team Letterman co-owns?

Buddy Rice won the 2004 Indy 500 for Rahal Letterman Racing; Takuma Sato brought the team its second victory in 2020.

Letterman bought a minority stake in Bobby Rahal's racing team in what year?

Letterman took a minority stake in Bobby Rahal's team in 1996; Danica Patrick drove for it as a rookie in 2005, finishing fourth in the Indy 500.

On what date did Letterman announce on air that he would retire from Late Show?

Letterman told his audience on April 3, 2014 that he would retire the following year; CBS named Stephen Colbert as his successor a week later.

How many of the then-living US presidents appeared in Letterman's final episode?

Four of the five living presidents taped the line 'Our long national nightmare is over' for the finale, following a clip of Gerald Ford; only Jimmy Carter was absent.

Which band closed Letterman's final show by playing his favourite song, 'Everlong'?

Foo Fighters played 'Everlong' over a montage of clips to close the May 20, 2015 finale, which ran well past its scheduled hour.

Roughly how many US viewers watched Letterman's last Late Show on May 20, 2015?

The May 20, 2015 finale drew 13.76 million viewers, the show's biggest audience in more than two decades.

For how many years did Letterman host late-night talk shows, a record that surpassed Johnny Carson?

Letterman hosted late-night shows for 33 years, from 1982 to 2015, more than 6,000 episodes across Late Night and Late Show.

How many times was Late Show nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series?

It won six of them.

Letterman received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012 alongside which rock band?

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were honoured with Letterman in 2012; Dustin Hoffman, Buddy Guy and ballerina Natalia Makarova rounded out the class.

In what year did Letterman receive the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor?

Letterman received the Mark Twain Prize in 2017, at a Kennedy Center ceremony in October; Julia Louis-Dreyfus received it the following year.

Letterman's 2018 Netflix interview series is titled what?

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction premiered on Netflix on January 12, 2018, with Letterman interviewing a single guest in each hour-long episode.

Where did Letterman and Regina Lasko marry in a quiet courthouse ceremony in 2009?

They wed at the courthouse in Choteau, Montana, near Letterman's ranch, on March 19, 2009; they had been together since 1986 and their son Harry was born in 2003.

Paul Shaffer, Letterman's longtime bandleader, co-wrote which disco anthem in 1982?

Shaffer wrote 'It's Raining Men' with Paul Jabara; before joining Letterman he played in the Saturday Night Live house band.

Paul Shaffer was raised in which Canadian city?

Paul Shaffer grew up in Fort William, Ontario, which amalgamated with Port Arthur to form Thunder Bay in 1970.

Which network offered Letterman the Nightline slot in 2002 as his CBS contract neared its end?

ABC courted Letterman for the 11:35 slot held by Nightline in early 2002; he turned it down and stayed at CBS for another 13 years.

Who was the first guest on Letterman's Netflix interview series in 2018?

Barack Obama was the first guest when the series premiered on January 12, 2018; in October 2022 Letterman flew to Kyiv to interview Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a standalone episode.

Which world leader did Letterman interview in India for the climate series Years of Living Dangerously?

Letterman interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2016 season, investigating India's push to bring electricity to roughly 300 million citizens who lacked it.

Which band did Letterman induct into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Letterman inducted Pearl Jam in their first year of eligibility, standing in for Neil Young, who was too ill to attend.

How long did Letterman's feud with Oprah Winfrey last after her uncomfortable 1989 Late Night interview?

The rift lasted 16 years, ending on December 2, 2005 when Oprah returned to Late Show for what Letterman called 'the Super Bowl of Love'.

For the 2010 Super Bowl promo with Oprah and Leno, whose retired No. 70 Colts jersey did Letterman wear?

Letterman wore Art Donovan's No. 70, the Colts number retired for his frequent guest; Leno flew in on an NBC jet and sneaked into the theatre in disguise for the taping.

What did Letterman sport on his first show back after the 2007-08 writers' strike?

A newly grown beard greeted viewers when Letterman returned on January 2, 2008, his company having cut its own interim deal with the WGA; the beard came off on air five days later.

Which baseball player did Letterman's controversial 2009 Sarah Palin joke reference?

The joke said Palin's daughter had been 'knocked up by Alex Rodriguez' during a Yankees game; Letterman later apologised to the Palins on air.

How did Letterman respond on air to a 2011 al-Qaeda death threat?

The threat followed his joke about the drone-strike death of al-Qaeda leader Ilyas Kashmiri.

Which car did Paul Newman have built for Letterman, later featured on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee?

A 1995 Volvo 960 wagon with a racing engine was Paul Newman's gift, built as a sleeper for Letterman, who drove it with Jerry Seinfeld on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

What did stalker Margaret Mary Ray famously steal from Letterman in 1988?

His Porsche was what Margaret Mary Ray took; she was caught driving it through the Lincoln Tunnel in 1988, also camped on his tennis court, and after her 1998 death he said he had great compassion for her.

How much did the David Letterman Communication and Media Building at his alma mater cost?

His 2007 dedication speech ended a Top Ten with 'if reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible'.

From 2011 his private charity was named the Letterman Foundation for Courtesy and what?

Grooming completes the tongue-in-cheek name: his charity, the American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming, became the Letterman Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming in 2011.

Who was the first host of The Late Late Show, produced by Letterman's company?

Tom Snyder hosted The Late Late Show from its January 1995 launch until 1999, when Craig Kilborn took over the 12:35 slot.