59 Fun Facts About David Letterman

In which city was David Letterman born?

Indianapolis: Letterman stocked shelves at the Atlas Supermarket in its Broad Ripple area as a teenager, then worked at a local TV station as a weekend weatherman before heading west.

Which Midwestern university awarded Letterman's 1969 degree and later named a media building after him?

Ball State in Muncie, where he studied radio and television; he returned to campus in 2007 to dedicate the David Letterman Communication and Media Building.

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

Congratulating a tropical storm on becoming a hurricane was an early taste of the deadpan humour that later filled his talk shows.

After moving west in 1975, Letterman began performing stand-up at which Los Angeles club?

The Comedy Store: Jimmie Walker saw Letterman on stage there and hired him as one of the joke writers for his own stand-up act.

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

Weekday mornings: The David Letterman Show won Daytime Emmys but flopped with the daytime audience and was cancelled within months.

In a famous Late Night stunt, Letterman wore a suit made of what to stick to a wall?

Velcro: on a February 1984 show Letterman launched himself off a trampoline at a wall covered in the fastener and stuck there, one of several 'suit' stunts that also dunked him in water wearing Alka-Seltzer.

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 topic of the very first Top Ten List?

Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas, also quoted as 'Words That Almost Rhyme With Peas', opened the run in 1985; NBC later claimed the Top Ten as its intellectual property when Letterman left for 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?

Stupid Pet Tricks was Elliott's first charge; he was soon promoted to writer and became a recurring on-camera oddball, most famously as 'The Guy Under the Seats'.

Which former partner of Letterman's was Late Night's first head writer and devised many of its signature segments?

Merrill Markoe and Letterman were a couple from 1978 to 1988; several bits she invented for his short-lived 1980 NBC show stayed his property when he left the network.

Which guest nearly kicked Letterman in the face during a bizarre 1987 Late Night appearance?

Crispin Glover arrived in platform shoes and a wig, swung a kick that just missed Letterman's face and sent the host walking off his own set.

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

Jay Leno, Carson's regular guest host, got the job in 1992; Letterman answered by moving to CBS the following year, setting up a head-to-head rivalry at 11:35.

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

The Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway, where Sullivan staged his variety show from 1953 to 1971; CBS bought and renovated the building for Letterman's 1993 arrival.

Which relative of Letterman's became a Late Show correspondent at the 1994 Winter Olympics?

His mother, Dorothy, billed simply as 'Dave's Mom', filed nightly reports from Lillehammer and went on to become a recurring guest on the show.

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 around the corner from the theatre, and after a 1993 'Meet the Neighbors' segment he became a regular in Letterman's street stunts.

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

Stage manager: Biff Henderson first worked with Letterman on his short-lived 1980 NBC show, and the host kept pushing him in front of the camera for stunts and remote reports.

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

Madonna swore so often that the interview was heavily bleeped, then playfully refused to leave the set when Letterman tried to wrap things up.

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

Drew Barrymore climbed onto the desk, danced, flashed him and finished with a kiss on the cheek, all as a gift for his 48th birthday on April 12, 1995.

Which film won Best Picture at the March 1995 Oscars, the only ceremony Letterman hosted?

Forrest Gump won six Oscars that night, including Best Picture; Letterman's bits included a taped sketch of stars auditioning for his own tiny role in the film Cabin Boy.

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 broke down in tears twice on the September 17, 2001 broadcast, which Letterman opened with an unusually serious monologue instead of the usual jokes.

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, which produced his CBS talk show?

Worldwide Pants owned Late Show outright, which let Letterman strike his own deal with striking writers in 2007 and return to air with them while NBC's hosts could not.

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

Everybody Loves Raymond began with a five-minute stand-up set Ray Romano did on Late Show in 1995, after which Letterman's company rushed to sign him.

Which rookie became the first woman to lead the Indy 500, driving for Letterman's team in 2005?

Danica Patrick led 19 laps and finished fourth, then the best Indy 500 result by a woman, and the frenzy around her was dubbed 'Danica Mania'.

In 1996 Letterman bought into which former Indy 500 winner's IndyCar team?

Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indy 500 winner, made Letterman a minority owner; the team added the host's name in 2004 and won the 500 that same year.

Who did CBS name as Letterman's Late Show successor a week after his 2014 retirement announcement?

Stephen Colbert was named on April 10, 2014, a week after Letterman's on-air announcement; he ended The Colbert Report to take over the desk in September 2015.

Letterman's finale opened with presidents quoting whose 'long national nightmare is over'?

Gerald Ford said it on taking office after Nixon's 1974 resignation; four presidents, sitting and former, taped the line for the finale as a joke at Letterman's expense.

Which band closed Letterman's final show, playing over a montage of clips from his career?

Foo Fighters played 'Everlong', which Letterman called his favourite song by his favourite band; in 2000 they had cut short a tour to play it on his first night back after five weeks off the air.

In Letterman's final Top Ten, which Seinfeld star thanked him for 'another hugely disappointing series finale'?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus delivered the dig with Jerry Seinfeld standing beside her; ten stars, among them Tina Fey and Steve Martin, read the list 'Things I've Always Wanted to Say to Dave'.

Which animal expert brought creatures onto Letterman's shows more than 100 times?

Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo became a fixture from the Late Night years on, and his animal segments with Letterman brought national attention to him and to his zoo.

Which singer made 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' a Letterman holiday tradition?

Darlene Love first sang it on Late Night in 1986, after Letterman saw her perform it in a stage show alongside Paul Shaffer, and kept returning until his final Christmas show in 2014.

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

Led Zeppelin's three surviving members were honoured alongside Letterman in December 2012; Heart's tribute performance of 'Stairway to Heaven' that night moved Robert Plant to tears.

Which Kennedy Center prize for American humor did Letterman receive in 2017?

The Mark Twain Prize: a year earlier Letterman had been at the same ceremony as a guest, paying tribute to the 2016 winner, before returning as the honoree in October 2017.

Letterman's 2018 Netflix interview series is titled what?

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction ended Letterman's retirement after less than three years, trading the nightly desk-and-band format for one long conversation per episode.

Letterman and Regina Lasko married in 2009 at a courthouse near his ranch in which town?

Choteau, Montana: they wed at the county courthouse on March 19, 2009, after more than two decades together, and Letterman broke the news to his studio audience four days later.

Paul Shaffer, Letterman's longtime bandleader, co-wrote which 1982 dance hit?

It's Raining Men was written in an afternoon for Donna Summer, who rejected it as blasphemous; Diana Ross also passed before The Weather Girls made it a hit.

Before joining Letterman in 1982, Paul Shaffer played in the house band of which sketch show?

Saturday Night Live: Shaffer was in its band from 1975 to 1980, popped up in sketches and served as musical director for the Blues Brothers before Letterman hired him.

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?

Pearl Jam were inducted in 2017, their first year of eligibility; Letterman closed his speech by lobbying the Hall to induct another of his favourite songwriters one day.

Which talk-show host ended a 16-year absence from Letterman's shows with a 2005 Late Show visit?

Oprah Winfrey came back on December 1, 2005 to promote her Broadway musical The Color Purple; she and Letterman both brushed off talk that a feud had kept her away.

Which actor's infamous 2009 Late Show interview, widely taken for a breakdown, was later revealed as part of a mockumentary?

Joaquin Phoenix was in character for I'm Still Here, Casey Affleck's film about his supposed switch from acting to rap; he came back to Letterman's desk in September 2010 to explain himself.

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 answer a 2011 al-Qaeda death threat on air?

He said 'everybody knows it's Leno' after joking that investigators were following an electronic trail, then gave that night's Top Ten list over to the threat.

Paul Newman had which unassuming car fitted with a racing engine for Letterman?

A Volvo station wagon: the 1995 Volvo 960 hides a 380-horsepower racing engine, and Letterman took Jerry Seinfeld for a ride in it on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

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

His Porsche: Margaret Mary Ray was stopped in it at the Lincoln Tunnel in 1988, unable to pay the $3 toll, and told officers she was Letterman's wife.

Wrestler Jerry Lawler slapped which comedian out of his chair on a notorious 1982 Late Night episode?

Andy Kaufman answered with a torrent of profanity and a thrown cup of coffee; years later Lawler confirmed that the whole feud had been staged.

Letterman's private charity is named the Letterman Foundation for Courtesy and what?

Grooming: behind the deadpan name, once the American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming, sits a real charity that has quietly given Letterman's money to health, youth and education causes.

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

Tom Snyder was Letterman's own pick: his NBC show Tomorrow had been cancelled in 1981 to make way for Late Night, and Letterman's CBS contract let him choose who followed him.