The Real Reason You Don't Hear From David Letterman Anymore

For more than 30 years, you couldn't go a single night without hearing from David Letterman.
“Forrest Gump said, 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're
going to get,' unless of course you're sitting next to Roger Ebert, then you know you aren't
gonna get any.
Heh heh.”
As the creator and host of both NBC's Late Night and later, CBS' Late Show, he pioneered
his own style of entertainment that continues to inform the way we share news and culture
today.
From his iconic "Top 10’s..."
“Top 10 things that sound cool when said by Snoop Dogg, here we go: number 10."
"Yo.”
...to his public feud with Jay Leno, he always had something ironic, or irreverent, to share
— be it a prickly interview with Madonna or a fresh McDonald's hamburger.
The influence that he had over the '80s, '90s, and beyond was massive, which only makes his
silence since retirement all the more noticeable.
So what exactly happened to Letterman after he stepped away from the desk for the last
time?
Peacin’ out
"From New York!
The greatest city in the world!
It's the Late Show with David Letterman."
When Letterman left Late Show, he truly left for good.
Once it became clear that Stephen Colbert would take over the Late Show gig at CBS,
Letterman handed over the reins, and never looked back.
Not only has Letterman never returned to the new Late Show, he says he doesn't even watch
it — or any late-night TV show.
“The first day of Stephen’s show, when he went on the air, an energy left me, and
I felt like, 'you know, that's not my problem anymore.'”
Hey, if we had hosted more than 6,000 unique shows over our careers, we wouldn't want to
watch another hour of late-night TV ever again, either.
Pantsed
Equally absent from the pop culture landscape has been Letterman's production company, Worldwide
Pants, Inc.
Long-running, recognizable, and as closely-associated with the man as the Ed Sullivan Theatre once
was, it seems like it would be the ideal platform for a comeback or next project.
If it were in better shape.
As Letterman himself reported, the production company is "now on pause."
Though he initially intended it to be "an ongoing organism… [to] develop material"
for a variety of platforms, he's realized the hard way that doing so is easier said
than done, saying, "That production model doesn't hold up anymore.
So Worldwide Pants ran out of steam for lack of opportunity.
But we are trying to put it back together."
“Gosh, Homie, Dave's been on the air for 33 years.
When Bart and Lisa were kids!
Maggie was still a baby!”
New ‘do
It makes plenty of sense that a man who's spent his life clean-shaven in the spotlight
would take the first chance he could to grow a big, beautiful beard.
It's a move that allows even the most famous celebs to hide in plain sight.
But Letterman's taken it one step further, with a snow-white work of beauty.
The man has cultivated one heck of a beard since leaving TV, making him look significantly
older and more Santa-esque than ever before.
Plus, he told TMZ that the beard had its benefits.
“People make fun of this beard, they think I look like a vagrant.
I'm gonna tell you something, I've cut my shaving time to zero.”
Family time
Though relatively private about his personal life throughout his first years on TV, Letterman
did open up about his family in memorable ways as the years went on.
Notably, he took time on his show in 2003 to announce the birth of his son, Harry.
And since his retirement, Letterman’s mom, Dorothy Mengering — a widely beloved “correspondent”
on her son’s shows — died in April 2017, at the age of 95.
"Hey mom how are you doing?"
"Doing fine, David, how bout you?"
"Oh, I'm alright, I had a little something to drink for lunch."
Letterman’s son Harry, now 13, doesn't really remember his dad from late-night TV, not that
that's a pressing concern.
Letterman said, "I want him to be proud of me, but I don't know that having a television
show is what makes a kid proud of you."
So he's keeping it low-key with the family, going on trips to Target, buying shoelaces,
and listening to his son recap episodes of The Amazing World of Gumball, instead.
A different direction
Of course, Letterman hasn't stepped away from the public eye entirely — you're just less
likely to see him unless you go looking.
He returned to TV for the premiere of the documentary Years of Living Dangerously, which
he shot in India.
Putting his interview skills to use, he held conversations with thinkers and world leaders
fundamental to the fight against climate change: like India's prime minister, Narendra Modi.
And it’s no stunt.
The always-curious host is legit in his advocacy for the environment.
It was something that I had interested in and concerned about and aware of since my
family and I started spending time in Montana."
No acting bug
Many show hosts and entertainers keep their profile up by doing cameos on popular movies
and TV shows, but Letterman’s not feeling it.
Over the course of his long career he's only had a couple of acting roles, and it's clear
that he never liked it.
He's said no to every cameo role offer, including a recent one for HBO’s Veep.
He told Vulture,
"Here's what would happen.
I'm going to do your show.
I'm going to worry about it, I'm going to get sick to my stomach, and I'm going to ruin
it.
I can't do that to you."
“But now I feel like I made a big mistake I don't feel like retiring now."
"Is that true?:
"Oh yea.
I gotta find something to do.
Any openings here?”
Cherry picking
Though he's not on TV anymore, Letterman still engages with the arts.
But now he's making intimate appearances, speaking before audiences of a few thousand
rather than a few million.
He's taken the stage for one-on-one talks with friends such as Rachel Maddow and Oprah
Winfrey, and has shown up as a moderator for talks between artists like directors Spike
Jonze and Bennett Miller.
Not long after leaving Late Nite, he showed up in San Antonio alongside Martin Short and
Steve Martin, surprising the audience with a live “Top 10” routine, the subject of
which was — of course — Donald Trump.
"Trump walked away from a moderately successful television show for some delusional bulls**t,
oh wait…that's me."
Thank you, and good night
Other than the lingering trappings of worldwide fame, it's remarkable how “normal” Letterman
describes his retired life.
It's more likely to remind you of your grandpa than a television industry titan.
As a retired 69-year-old, he enjoys The Price is Right, hanging out at a local bait-and-tackle
store, and having monthly meals with his old band leader, Paul Shaffer, where they talk
about everything except their times in show business.
After more than 30 years of making us laugh ourselves to sleep, it's nice to see him focus
on his family and himself.
So take it easy, David Letterman.
“Alright that’s pretty much all I got, the only thing I have left to do , for the last time, on a television program --
thank you and goodnight.”
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The Real Reason You Don't Hear From David Letterman Anymore

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