David Letterman Reveals His True Feelings about Jay Leno Hosting Tonight Show, Johnny Carson 1991

David let him is a good friend of mine as you well know he has had his own highly successful show on NBC for a decade would you welcome mr. David Letterman I've never been so damn thank you let me just check something Vivi the line was just a potty sitting minute Sheila we got it you can't beat wacky probs yeah ya know we go we go with the goods and by the way I appreciate the shot in the monologue that did a world for my morale you know just pack up and get in the car now oh yeah I picked up that gentle humor for watching you heathen giveth he that giveth must also take it you've been saving that joke since the coup you got it yeah yes on the off chance you might show up here yeah now let me before we continue we'll get to your questions in a shirt oh sure no problem and I have something can I have a word with the band certainly excuse me guys yeah the gravy train is being discontinued they actually will have to get that's right anyway I came over here early I'm terribly nervous about the appearance when I say to myself Dave I say to myself Dave let's go get us a beverage so I go to this place down the street they're down Alameda and it's one of these places sells a lot of muffins in fact it says mostly muffins but no that's not the name of the place and and I go in there and I see that they have coffee as well right I think good I'll go and get myself a hot steaming cup of joe now behind the coffee machine there there's a sign up in the wall and it says helium balloons 75 cents I see an opportunity for comedy so I waited in line and the guy behind the counter says can I help you sir and I said yes I would like a cup of coffee and he says okay yeah you own anything in that I said yes I'd like some helium he now he looks at me he looks back at the side and he says that's only for balloons there's an old there's an old adage never never joke never joke with the tradespeople rule number one in comedy never joke with oh man no why don't I just start off with a with a question here just just how pissed off are you I've never asked that question in many years let me give you a little piece of advice you you keep using language like that and you're gonna find yourself out of a job over 10 years a long time when you first came on this show and I can remember I remember the very first joke I remember you doing on the show mm-hmm and it had to do with brushing your teeth when the toothpaste congeals in the sink all right it makes those little hard things you said you chipped them out and serve them for dessert mints right just to show you I can still read on what you did now with all that's been going on and all the stuff that's been in the papers and then conjecture and theory by the critics and the people because if you know your friend your friend of yours is taking over here next me and you I said there were rumors of paper you're gonna firebomb NBC you're gonna do all well I hate waiting in line don't start with Shaughnessy in the rimshots will never get through anything so you want to address this you address it it's a no I'm not angry I'm not angry at NBC about this I'm not angry at Jay Leno about this not not angry at you or The Tonight Show about this I mean realistically if it were not for you I wouldn't wouldn't have a show and you know I wouldn't have socks actually if it weren't for you and now if the network had come to me and they say Dave we'd like you to have this show and then then a week later they said Dave we don't want you to have the show then you could be angry about right but I have a show if you do and an NBC can can do whatever they want with this show so I was I was never never angry now would I would I like to have the show sure that's honest I'd like to be looking at new upholstery now and from what I know of you a guy can make a pretty comfortable living doing the show if you play your cards right and don't give it all away you can you can you in visit yourself we're gonna finish it almost 30 years in make and you envision yourself 20 years from now doing that your late night I don't I don't know how you've done it I don't you know 10 years to me seems like some nights it seems like it's been 10 years no I don't I don't I don't think we got much beyond you know 10 years seems just about right sometimes yeah anyway but you know the question the question to ask maybe well they said 10 years may you said maybe you long enough they don't want you to you know part of the problem is the answer is incomplete because it wasn't paying close attention to the question I forgot what I asked we have to do the computers right so we can finish up with this one we come back Absalom they were

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Views: 7,590,917

Rating: 4.6574559 out of 5

Keywords: David Letterman, Jay Leno, Host, Successor, The Tonight Show (TV Program), Johnny Carson (Author), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV Program), David Letterman (Comedian), Comedy (TV Genre), Stand-up Comedy (TV Genre), Comedian (Profession), Talk Show (TV Genre), Jay Leno (Author), The Jay Leno Show (TV Program), The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (TV Program), Late Night With David Letterman (TV Program), The David Letterman Show (TV Program), Comedy Film (TV Genre)

Id: sLQwp-kTXEg

Length: 7min 37sec (457 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 31 2011

Reddit Comments

[u/Honestfellow2449]

"if the network had came to me and said Dave we would like you to have the show, and then a week later say they said Dave we don't want you to have the show, then you could be angry"

Conan!

[u/[deleted]]

Letterman shoulda got it, he's a helluva lot better than Leno

[u/sparrowmint]

I like how hilarious Letterman found it whenever Carson asked if he'd be doing a late night show for 20 more years, and then he ended up doing nearly 25 more years.

[u/TheTrueRory]

I'm damn impressed with Carson for remembering that very first joke.

[u/UniversalPolymath]

Man, Letterman's so quick on his feat. This is a great interview - lovely to see the mutual respect and admiration between him and Carson.