Oprah Winfrey’s big honking interview with David Letterman airs this Sunday at 9PM on OWN (I wonder what that stands for. Oil Wrestling Nebraskans? Obscenely Wide Neckties? Octogenarians Watching Norbit? I guess we’ll never know), and to promote the special the network has released a teaser clip where Oprah asks Dave about his relationship with Tonight Show host Jay Leno. Apparently the two have some history. Who knew?
Anyway, I guess the big news here is that Letterman describes Leno as “an unusual fellow” who is both the funniest, smartest person he’s ever known, and also the most insecure person he’s ever known. I don’t know. I’m of two minds about the whole thing. On one hand, I am endlessly fascinated by Jay Leno. I just can’t, for the life of me, figure out what his deal is. Two separate times he weaseled his way around to more or less hose someone out of the Tonight Show gig, and for what? Almost all of his late-night colleagues despise him, he doesn’t appear to have any interest in doing anything with the show beyond running on stage and picking off all the low hanging fruit he can see, and he’s made it very clear that he doesn’t need the money. I really don’t get it. I want to, but I don’t.
But…
On the other hand, I kind of wish Letterman and Conan O’Brien would just talk about, like, anything else for a while. I know this is an interview and it was an answer to a direct question — one that will understandably be asked anytime either of them sit down for something like this — but it’s starting to get a little of a “my buddy’s girlfriend dumped him months ago and he still won’t stop talking about it and it is bringing me down, man” vibe. Maybe that’s just because I write about television and it’s constantly on my radar, but I’m starting to hope the two of them just do a no-holds-barred, hour-long HBO special called One Last Time: About Jay where they sit in very comfortable chairs, get everything off their chest all at once, and then put it to bed.
Kimmel can moderate. I would watch.
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Apparently Dave is unaware of all the other actually funny people he has met during his career.
it’s a pretty common sentiment that 1980′s Jay Leno was a powerhouse. Letterman is far from the only person to say something like this. You can even watch some of Jay’s old appearances on Letterman’s show back in the day and see what a stark difference between Leno then and now is.
I don’t think you can fairly fault Leno for playing defense. He goes out of his way to make fun of both political parties, avoiding controversy and keeping his highly lucrative career. It’s just business, and whether or not he’s funny almost doesn’t matter–especially when I can watch last night’s Ferguson on the DVR starting at 11:15 (gotta see the weather).
Jay Leno is the Joker to Dave’s Batman. Their destinies are always going to be entwined.
He has to be saying he thinks Jay Leno is funny so he doesn’t seem like a sore loser, right?
Exactly.
Strangely Leno WAS funny. Once. Maybe that’s what he’s thinking about. When they were friends, Leno was pretty clever.
@Homo_Erectus: I remember Leno being funny back then, and I suspect it was because he was writing his own jokes. Now that he has a staff and a multimillion-dollar enterprise to protect, he’s going to play it a lot safer.
Welcome to another episode of Obscenely Wide Neckties, I’m your host Merril Hoge.
I think the fact that I’d never heard of Merril Hoge, and felt compelled to GIS him/her, only enhanced how funny I found this comment.
Bravo.
[www.sportsgrid.com]
Yeah, well, I don’t see Leno getting Kennedy Center honors.
TEAM LETTERMAN FOREVER!!!
I used to be a Dave guy, but he’s just become such an asshole over the last few years. I still tune in occasionally if the missus has gone to sleep and I can turn off Leno, and it seems like Dave is still telling the same joke he told yesterday, last week, last year. It’s actually sad to see the guy who was so groundbreaking be so lame and one-note.
And if you think for a second that he didn’t trade the 132* 2011-2012 appearances by the Obamas for a Kennedy Center honor…
*Actual number may be slightly less. Slightly.
Obscenely Wealthy Negro seems more apt. And racist.
I would sub Obese for Obscenely.
I’d watch the shit out of the Obese Wealthy Negro network.
I want to see what Dave does with his Super Bowl commercial this year. I don’t know how he’s going to top his last one.
Dave has been trolling since long before it was a thing. Random, goofy answer that likely doesn’t have anything to do with anything.
Now he sits back and watches.
I hate both of those guys, David Letterman has given up on his show about as much as Jay Leno. Ehhh, got any gum?
Letterman coasting is about as good as at least half of the other late night guys. Letterman has earned a lifetime pass of respect. I don’t care how big of a dick he can be, how much he phones it in, whatever. The dude is a legend and rightfully so.
I’ll never forgive Letterman for what he did to Louis C.K.
/has a hard time separating TV from real life.
I had to weigh this for quite a while. On the one hand, Leno is a hack who screwed over two beloved TV hosts. On the other hand, Letterman is upset with Louie because he’s perceived as having gone after Letterman’s job and possibly screwed him out of a better bargaining position.
This last one I think will be corrected. I think all will be corrected now that Louie’s story is out there.
Then we can all go back to just hating what Leno has become.
I just can’t understand how this is an issue. Late night hosts really aren’t that interesting and certainly aren’t groundbreaking and haven’t been for a long time. It looked to me like Jay wanted to keep doing his show and then did that. I fail to see where all the crazy hatred and back alley psychoanalysis is justified.
Since it’s been 20 years it’s hard to remember how legitimately important The Tonight Show was in the early 90′s when it was up for grabs. And i disagree with your sentiment in general anyway. I love the shit out of late night talk shows.
Jay Leno would probably only hear the first half of that description.