David Letterman

• 1. Weatherman To Comedy Writer

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  David Michael Letterman was born on the 12th of April 1947 in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father worked as a florist and his mother served as a church secretary for the Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis. He grew up in the Broad Ripple area near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As a child, he collected model cars including racers from that famous track. In 1969, he graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Radio and Television. He began working at a student-run radio station called WBST where he played classical music with irreverence. This behavior led to him being fired from that position. He then helped found another campus station known as WAGO-AM 570. After graduation, he started broadcasting as an announcer and weatherman for WLWI television. His delivery included jokes about hailstones the size of canned hams. He also reported fake weather for fictional cities like Bingree. One time he joked that the state border between Indiana and Ohio had been erased by dirty political dealings.

• 2. The Late Night Revolution

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  Letterman moved to Los Angeles in 1975 with his wife Michelle and their belongings packed into a pickup truck. He performed comedy at The Comedy Store where Jimmie Walker saw him on stage. George Miller endorsed Letterman who joined a group of writers hired by Walker. That group included future stars like Jay Leno and Paul Mooney. By summer 1977, he worked on The Starland Vocal Band Show broadcast on CBS. He hosted a pilot game show called The Riddlers which never aired. In January 1978, he co-starred in Barry Levinson's Peeping Times. Later that year, he appeared on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show named Mary. He made guest appearances on Mork & Mindy and various game shows including The $20,000 Pyramid. NBC gave him his own morning show called The David Letterman Show on the 23rd of June 1980. It ran for six months before cancellation on the 24th of October 1980 despite winning two Emmy Awards. Johnny Carson became a mentor and allowed Letterman to host The Tonight Show regularly during 1980 and 1981.

• 3. The Late Night Revolution

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  NBC kept Letterman on payroll to try him in a new time slot starting the 1st of February 1982. His first guest was Bill Murray who later returned for anniversary celebrations. The program aired Monday through Thursday at 12:30 AM Eastern Time following The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. A Friday night broadcast was added in June 1987. The show developed a cult following among college students due to its unpredictable nature. Letterman engaged in verbal sparring matches with guests like Cher who once called him an asshole. He introduced quirky segments such as Stupid Pet Tricks and Top Ten Lists. He dropped objects off the roof of a five-story building repeatedly. He demonstrated unorthodox clothing made from Alka-Seltzer or Velcro. A camera mounted on his dog Bob appeared in Film[s] by My Dog Bob segments. Small Town News featured local stories with a satirical edge. On the 19th of August 1985, he used a bullhorn to interrupt a live interview on The Today Show claiming to be NBC News president Lawrence K. Grossman while wearing no pants. He walked across the hall to Studio 6B to interrupt weather segments during Live at Five.

• 4. The Late Night Revolution

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  In 1992, Johnny Carson retired after hosting The Tonight Show for decades. Fans expected Letterman to take over but NBC chose Jay Leno instead. Letterman left NBC to host a new late-night show on CBS called Late Show with David Letterman. It debuted on the 30th of August 1993 taped at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater. CBS spent $8 million renovating the theater for his arrival. He signed a three-year contract paying $14 million per year doubling his previous salary. Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band followed him to CBS adding a brass section renamed the CBS Orchestra. Intellectual property disagreements prevented importing many old segments verbatim so they were renamed like Viewer Mail becoming CBS Mailbag. Time magazine noted his innovation gained power from rigorous formalism. Biographer Jason Zinoman described him as a disgruntled eccentric trapped inside traditional talk shows. Ratings initially favored Letterman over Leno in 1993 and 1994. By 1995 ratings dipped when Hugh Grant appeared on Leno's show following an arrest for soliciting a prostitute. Leno attracted about five million nightly viewers between 1999 and 2009 while Letterman drew roughly 3.8 million.

• 5. Heart Surgery And Recovery

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  On the 14th of January 2000 routine checkups revealed a severely obstructed artery in Letterman's heart. He underwent emergency quintuple bypass surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital. During recovery reruns aired introduced by friends including Norm Macdonald Drew Barrymore Ray Romano Robin Williams Bonnie Hunt Megan Mullally Bill Murray Regis Philbin Charles Grodin Nathan Lane Julia Roberts Bruce Willis Jerry Seinfeld Martin Short Steven Seagal Hillary Clinton Danny DeVito Steve Martin Tom Snyder and Sarah Jessica Parker. He revived guest host traditions allowing Bill Cosby Kathie Lee Gifford Dana Carvey Janeane Garofalo and others to host new episodes. Upon returning the 21st of February 2000 he brought doctors O. Wayne Isom and Louis Aronne on stage alongside nurses who participated in his recovery. He joked about the procedure saying it was like not getting The Tonight Show. He lobbied Indiana to rename freeway I-465 as The David Letterman Bypass. A montage of faux news coverage showed his heart for sale on Home Shopping Network. In 2008 Rolling Stone reported he hosted doctors and nurses who became best friends after opening his chest. He invited Foo Fighters to play Everlong introducing them as his favorite band playing his favorite song.

• 6. Scandals And Personal Relationships

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  On the 1st of October 2009 Letterman announced on air that he had been blackmailed regarding sexual relationships with female employees. An extortionist left a package containing material intended for a screenplay or book demanding $2 million payment. Letterman contacted Manhattan District Attorney's office participating in a sting operation involving a fake check handover. Joe Halderman producer of CBS news magazine 48 Hours was arrested around noon EST on the 1st of October 2009 trying to deposit the check. He pleaded guilty in March 2010 receiving six months prison time plus probation and community service. Stephanie Birkitt longtime personal assistant appeared frequently on the show sharing residence with Halderman until shortly before revelations. She worked for 48 Hours and her diary allegedly copied by Halderman formed part of blackmail evidence. Kathie Lee Gifford and Ann Curry questioned whether affairs created unfair working environments. Holly Hester former CBS employee had a yearlong secret affair with Letterman early 1990s while she was an intern at New York University. On the 5th of October 2009 Letterman devoted a segment apologizing publicly to his wife and staff. Three days later Worldwide Pants placed Birkitt on paid leave from Late Show.

• 7. Post Retirement And Legacy

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  Letterman announced retirement during taping the 3rd of April 2014 ending hosting the 20th of May 2015. Stephen Colbert succeeded him as host. Final episode drew 13.76 million viewers highest since following 1994 Winter Olympics. It featured four living American presidents George H.W. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama mimicking Gerald Ford's statement Our long national nightmare is over. Cameos included The Simpsons and Wheel of Fortune puzzle reading Good riddance to David Letterman. A Top Ten List performed by Alec Baldwin Barbara Walters Steve Martin Jerry Seinfeld Jim Carrey Chris Rock Julia Louis-Dreyfus Peyton Manning Tina Fey and Bill Murray closed the show set to Everlong by Foo Fighters. In 2018 he began hosting My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman on Netflix premiering the 12th of January 2018 with Barack Obama first guest. Season two premiered the 31st of May 2019 season three the 21st of October 2020 featuring Kim Kardashian West Robert Downey Jr Dave Chappelle and Lizzo. He traveled to Kyiv Ukraine interviewing Volodymyr Zelenskyy in October 2022. His production company Worldwide Pants founded 1991 produced Late Show and Everybody Loves Raymond. He co-owns Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team winning Indianapolis 500 twice in 2004 and 2020.