David Letterman Thought a Black Person or Woman Should've Replaced Him on Late Show

CBS' outgoing host wasn't consulted about his replacement

By Chris Harnick Apr 29, 2015 4:39 PMTags
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David Letterman, who has hosted The Late Show since 1993, was not asked about his replacement. He's not bitter. Anymore.

Letterman, who will be replaced by Stephen Colbert, told The New York Times he had no say in who was going to replace him as host and it bothered him, just a bit.

"I always thought Jon Stewart would have been a good choice. And then Stephen. And then I thought, well, maybe this will be a good opportunity to put a black person on, and it would be a good opportunity to put a woman on," Letterman said. "Because there are certainly a lot of very funny women that have television shows everywhere. So that would have made sense to me as well."

Letterman said he would've liked to be consulted, as a courtesy. "But it doesn't bother me now. At the time, I had made the decision [to leave] and I thought, O.K., this is what comes when you make this decision," he said.

The two have chatted when the announcement was made, but he hasn't offered him advice. "He's not a beginner," Letterman said. "He's had pretty good success."

Letterman announced his exit from The Late Show in April of 2014. Just a week later CBS named Colbert as his replacement.

"They didn't have to put much thought to it, did they? I think it was the very next day. [Laughs.] But if you're running the show with Jimmy Fallon, that's a certain dynamic. Jimmy Kimmel, a completely different dynamic," Letterman told The New York Times. "And now Stephen Colbert will add a third, different dynamic to it. I think it will be very interesting to see what he will do."

At the time of his announcement, Colbert praised the outgoing host. "Simply being a guest on David Letterman's show has been a highlight of my career," Colbert said in a statement. "I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave's lead. I'm thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth."

Letterman's last Late Show is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20 on CBS.