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A Look Back At Letterman's More Surprising Moments, As He Celebrates 30 Years In Late Night
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 31, 2012
Modified Jan 31, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 31, 2012
Modified Jan 31, 2012
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Tomorrow night will mark David Letterman's 30th year anniversary in late night television, though not always with the same network. He started out as the host of NBC's Late Night With David Letterman on February 1st, 1982, and left a little over a decade when he made his shift over to CBS in 1993. According to the Late Show's executive producer Rob Burnett, the milestone may be mentioned on tomorrow night's show, "but I don’t see an extravaganza coming to fruition. Dave has never been super comfortable drawing a lot of attention to himself." Howard Stern is a guest on the show tomorrow night, who Burnett refers to as "a kindred spirit with Dave."
So if Letterman isn't going to promise an anniversary special complete with a retrospective on his long career, the least we can do is take a look back ourselves. Here are some more of the unexpected moments, like the time Jerry Garcia and Dave did a little duet, or when Hunter S. Thompson paid the host a visit. Or, you know, that time Letterman did a whole "1980s bachelor" photo shoot at his home in Westchester for photographer Susan Wood. Click through, click play, and enjoy!
Jerry Lawler vs. Andy Kaufman
Hunter S. Thompson in 1988
A Jerry Garcia/David Letterman music collaboration, in 1982
Madonna on Letterman in 1994, count the number of times she says "fuck"
And with Sandra Bernhard in 1988
Drew Barrymore flashes Letterman in 1995
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anniversary
david letterman
late night
late show
letterman
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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