For decades, viewers have been tuning into late-night television. From humorous takes on daily news stories to pop culture celebrities guest starring, the TV format has been popular and successful for a reason.
Over the years, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Trevor Noah, and Jimmy Kimmel have been just a few of the great names to take on the genre. Amongst the famous late-night talk shows is David Letterman. Letterman‘s career has been long and lucrative, but that isn’t to say there haven’t been a few bumps along the road.
A look back at David Letterman’s career
An Indianapolis native, David Letterman was born on April 12, 1947. Known to be both independent and a class clown from a young age, Letterman seemed to already have a knack for being both successful and funny.
After graduating from Ball State University in 1969, Letterman began working as a weatherman, radio personality, and TV announcer. When his weather-related jokes didn’t go over so smoothly on the air, Letterman began practicing standup comedy.
During this time, Letterman also started writing for the CBS TV series Good Times. These developments, plus his game shows and television program appearances, led the comedian to be invited on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. After a few episodes, Letterman was deemed the substitute host of the popular program.
1980 marked one of Letterman’s first big breaks when he was awarded his own daytime talk show. Sadly, The David Letterman Show didn’t get very high ratings and only lasted a mere few months, but it still gave Letterman even more exposure.
Another opportunity was right around the corner for Letterman. When Tom Snyder, another late-night television host, was forced off the air, NBC offered Letterman his slot for Late Night with David Letterman. When Johnny Carson retired from his position in 1992, and it went to Jay Leno, Letterman felt passed over and left NBC for CBS.
This marked the beginning of the Late Show with David Letterman. From movie cameos to taking on producing roles, Letterman definitely stayed busy.
In 2015, after over 6,000 episodes, Letterman left his post. More recently, the famous star’s fans and followers have been able to enjoy watching him in his Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
The scandal involving Letterman’s affair and a blackmailer
David Letterman, 75 years old at the moment, has had a remarkable career, but that isn’t to say there haven’t been any tough moments. In 2009, the late-night TV show host found himself in a blackmail scheme. Joe Halderman, a CBS producer, threatened to reveal that Letterman was having affairs with female staffers if he wasn’t paid millions.
Not giving in to the blackmailer, Letterman collaborated with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and Halderman was caught in an orchestrated sting operation. Halderman was charged with attempted grand larceny and was sentenced to serve six months in jail.
All of this led a married Letterman to publicly apologize and confess to it all.
More controversy from David Letterman’s past
Right on the heels of David Letterman‘s cheating scandal, the highly-established A-lister had to address accusations of sexual favoritism. Nell Scovell, a former writer for Letterman’s show, released “Letterman and Me” on Vanity Fair in 2009. The feature put Letterman on blast for not hiring enough female writers, being sexually inappropriate, and creating a toxic male-centered environment.
In 2019, a decade after the piece came out, Scovell wrote a follow-up feature after having the opportunity to sit down and talk with Letterman. The late-night TV show host explained, “I’m sorry I was that way and I was happy to have read the piece because it wasn’t angering. I felt horrible because who wants to be the guy that makes people unhappy to work where they’re working?… I don’t want to be that guy. I’m not that guy now, I was that guy then.”
Though it hasn’t been perfect, Letterman and his career have come a very long way.
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