About David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host in American television history.
Letterman is also a television and film producer. His company, Worldwide Pants, produced his shows as well as The Late Late Show and several primetime comedies, the most successful of which was the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Several late-night hosts have cited Letterman's influence, including Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jon Stewart. Since 2018, he has hosted the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up on the north side of the city in the Broad Ripple area. He attended Broad Ripple High School and Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, graduating in 1969. He began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station, WBST. After graduating, he worked as an anchor and weatherman at Indianapolis television station WLWI, receiving attention for his novel on-air delivery. In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles with the hope of becoming a comedy writer, and began performing comedy at The Comedy Store.
Videos (16)
Videos 1 to 16 of 16.
9:38Bill Cosby on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
4.2K views
8:01Alec Baldwin (Part 1) on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
2.1K views
5:25Adam Levine (Maroon 5) on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
1.9K views
10:32Bill Cosby (2014) on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
1.9K views
5:25Alyson Hannigan on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
1.5K views
7:07Alec Baldwin (Part 2) on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
1.1K views
8:26Betty White on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
1K views
13:45Bill Murray on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
1K views
7:08Andrew Garfield on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
924 views
13:02Adam Sandler on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
776 views
13:33Ashton Kutcher on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
768 views
6:52Amy Schumer on David Letterman || Interview
475 views
9:12Barack Obama (Part 3) on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
427 views
7:36Anna Kendrick on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
259 views
10:35Anne Hathaway on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
229 views
9:21Amanda Seyfried on David Letterman || Interview || (ita sub)
223 viewsGuest appearances (127)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring David Letterman.
Guest appearances 25 to 48 of 127.
1:49The Best Advice Jon Stewart Ever Received Was From David Letterman - After the Cut | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
366.9K views
4:39Johnny Carson Steals David Letterman's Truck!
Johnny Carson
305.7K views
3:56Patton Oswalt: David Letterman Made Me A Better Comic | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
303.3K views
1:13:32JOHNNY CARSON FULL EPISODE: David Letterman, Toy Review, O Holy Night, Tonight Show 12/20/79
Johnny Carson
288.4K views
3:53David Letterman Forgets He Has a Beard
Seth Meyers
279.2K views
3:54David Letterman Talks About Thanksgiving And His Childhood Pet Turkey on Carson Tonight Show
Johnny Carson
263.6K views
2:17Seth Meyers Recreates David Letterman's Late Night Opening Package - Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers
260.5K views
5:47David Letterman Reveals What He Misses Most About Late-Night
Jimmy Kimmel
220.6K views
1:01Sam Morril and David Letterman talking about Florida
Sam Morril
218.2K views
8:08Conan Almost Risked His Career To Prank David Letterman | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Conan O'Brien
210K views
17:07David Letterman Talks About The Time Johnny Stole His Car on Carson Tonight Show
Johnny Carson
199.3K views
4:55David Letterman Hitchhikes to the Emmys
Jimmy Kimmel
199.1K views
6:25Bert Kreischer Reacts to David Letterman Voicemail (FULL)
Neal Brennan
198.5K views
8:53Bill Murray on Ant-Man Rumors, The French Dispatch & Barging in on David Letterman’s Doc Appointment
Jimmy Kimmel
196K views
3:39Billy Crystal vs David Letterman in Embarrassing Old Clip
Jimmy Kimmel
191.5K views
7:25John Byner visits David Letterman's LATE SHOW
John Byner
191K views
8:20Craig Ferguson on David Letterman
Neal Brennan
182K views
0:55David Letterman shouts out Sam Morril
Sam Morril
134.2K views
1:12Classic David Letterman
Dan Soder
132.7K views
2:24Bill Hicks - David Letterman
Bill Hicks
132.3K views
5:18David Letterman on Jay Leno.
Neal Brennan
131.4K views
11:46David Letterman's First Appearance | Carson Tonight Show
Johnny Carson
121.5K views
4:57Howard Stern Jealous of David Letterman
Jimmy Kimmel
106.1K views
0:56Sam Morril and David Letterman on NYC post pandemic
Sam Morril
94.8K viewsChannels on this page: Jon Stewart, Johnny Carson, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Sam Morril, Neal Brennan, John Byner, Dan Soder, Bill Hicks
Frequently asked questions
Who is David Letterman?
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer who hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years.
How long did David Letterman host late-night shows?
He hosted late-night talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS.
How many episodes did David Letterman host?
In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host in American television history.
What is Worldwide Pants?
Worldwide Pants is Letterman's production company, which produced his shows as well as The Late Late Show and several primetime comedies, the most successful of which was the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.
How did David Letterman begin his career?
He began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at Ball State University's student-run radio station WBST, then worked as an anchor and weatherman at Indianapolis television station WLWI before moving to Los Angeles in 1975 to become a comedy writer.
