David Letterman: Host From Hell
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Before the cameras, David Letterman was as cool as a cucumber — but a crude curmudgeon behind them! According to “Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night,” author Jason Zinoman paints the retired TV host as a bully and a buzzkill for everyone who came in contact with him! Many longtime employees, some dating back to his 1980 NBC morning show, “The David Letterman Show,” described him as a 'constant complainer.' He would save the worst for those who worked closest to him — his writers and producers! “There comes a moment when he turns on you,” remembered one of his longtime staffers.
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Even band leader and on-air confidant Paul Shaffer was not immune to Dave's boorish behavior. He recalled a night when musician Todd Rundgren sat in with the band, and Letterman kept prodding him to perform more songs than they had rehearsed. Shaffer voiced his displeasure about it — and it was edited out of the broadcast! “It got worse when he went to CBS. Any flaw, minor flaw, he exaggerated. He was most uncomfortable at No. 1,” said Shaffer.
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Zinoman says Dave was constantly miserable — even when his show was No. 1 in the ratings! When he was passed over to replace the retiring Johnny Carson on 'The Tonight Show' in favor of Jay Leno in 1993, Letterman took his act to CBS where he was offered 16 million a year. Even after proving his worth by consistently topping Leno in the ratings, he remained gloomy and grumpy. A former producer recalled when a then-popular Mel Gibson was booked as a last-minute replacement to fill a spot on the show, Dave turned his nose up at him — instead choosing to interview show regular 'Kamarr' The Discount Magician!
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Towards the end of his CBS tenure, Zinoman writes Letterman started becoming “crudely sexual” in his interviews with famous female guests. He also had a preference for wanting 'leggy supermodels' to frequent the show so he could leer at them like a 'horny creep.' His crude attitude towards women did not win him much sympathy during his infamous scandal when he was being extorted by the boyfriend of a younger female staffer he was having an affair with.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
By the time his run was over, Letterman's trusted inner circle was limited to a few loyal colleagues. “He was never truly comfortable unless he was seething with unhappiness at something,” said a longtime writer.
Before the cameras, David Letterman was as cool as a cucumber — but a crude curmudgeon behind them! According to “Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night,” author Jason Zinoman paints the retired TV host as a bully and a buzzkill for everyone who came in contact with him! Many longtime employees, some dating back to his 1980 NBC morning show, “The David Letterman Show,” described him as a 'constant complainer.' He would save the worst for those who worked closest to him — his writers and producers! “There comes a moment when he turns on you,” remembered one of his longtime staffers.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Even band leader and on-air confidant Paul Shaffer was not immune to Dave's boorish behavior. He recalled a night when musician Todd Rundgren sat in with the band, and Letterman kept prodding him to perform more songs than they had rehearsed. Shaffer voiced his displeasure about it — and it was edited out of the broadcast! “It got worse when he went to CBS. Any flaw, minor flaw, he exaggerated. He was most uncomfortable at No. 1,” said Shaffer.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Zinoman says Dave was constantly miserable — even when his show was No. 1 in the ratings! When he was passed over to replace the retiring Johnny Carson on 'The Tonight Show' in favor of Jay Leno in 1993, Letterman took his act to CBS where he was offered 16 million a year. Even after proving his worth by consistently topping Leno in the ratings, he remained gloomy and grumpy. A former producer recalled when a then-popular Mel Gibson was booked as a last-minute replacement to fill a spot on the show, Dave turned his nose up at him — instead choosing to interview show regular 'Kamarr' The Discount Magician!
Photo credit: Getty Images
Towards the end of his CBS tenure, Zinoman writes Letterman started becoming “crudely sexual” in his interviews with famous female guests. He also had a preference for wanting 'leggy supermodels' to frequent the show so he could leer at them like a 'horny creep.' His crude attitude towards women did not win him much sympathy during his infamous scandal when he was being extorted by the boyfriend of a younger female staffer he was having an affair with.
Photo credit: Getty Images
By the time his run was over, Letterman's trusted inner circle was limited to a few loyal colleagues. “He was never truly comfortable unless he was seething with unhappiness at something,” said a longtime writer.
Photo credit: Getty Images
