COMEDIC COMPETITIONAN ANALYSIS OF THE COMPETITIVE HISTORY OF

JAY LENO AND DAVID LETTERMAN

BY SARAH ROSS & GRETCHEN SCHERER

FROM COMEDY CLUBS TO PRIME TIME

• THE TWO COMEDIANS MET IN THE LATE 70’S IN LOS ANGELES WHERE THEY WOULD PERFORM STAND UP COMEDY ACTS IN THE SAME CLUBS

• IN 1982 LETTERMAN HOSTED THE SHOW “LATE NIGHT” AND HAD LENO ON AS A GUEST

• BOTH WERE GUESTS OF JOHNNY CARSON ON “THE TONIGHT SHOW”

• ALTHOUGH LETTERMAN WAS CONSIDERED, LENO WAS OFFERED “THE TONIGHT SHOW” WHEN CARSON RETIRED IN 1992

• LETTERMAN BEGAN HOSTING “THE LATE SHOW” WHICH WAS DURING THE SAME TIME SLOT AS LENO’S SHOW.

PROFESSIONAL RIVALRY

• THEY COMPETED FOR RATINGS, AWARDS AND VIEWERS FOR THE MAJORITY OF THEIR PRIMETIME CAREERS

• THE RIVALS REFRAINED FROM BEING DISRESPECTFUL, DIRECTLY CRITICIZING ONE ANOTHER OR INFRINGING THE OWNERSHIP OF THE OTHER’S WORK.

• THEY HAVE FOUND WAYS TO MAKE JOKES ABOUT THE OTHER COMEDIAN WHILE STILL MAINTAINING PROFESSIONALISM

CONTROVERSIAL COMPETITION

• LETTERMAN WAS THE HOST OF “THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN” ON NBC AND WAS CONSIDERED A SHOE IN TO HOST “THE TONIGHT SHOW” WHEN CARSON RETIRED.

• WHEN LENO WAS GIVEN THE GIG LETTERMAN DITCHED NBC

• HE SIGNED UP WITH CBS’S “THE LATE SHOW” FOR THE SAME TIMESLOT AS LENO’S SHOW

• LETTERMAN’S SALARY FOR “THE LATE SHOW” WAS $14 MILLION ANNUALLY WHILE LENO RECEIVED ONLY $3 MILLION FOR “THE TONIGHT SHOW”

• WHEN LENO RETURNED TO “THE TONIGHT SHOW” AFTER LEAVING IT IN THE INCAPABLE HANDS OF CONAN O’BRIEN, LETTERMAN TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE JOKES AT LENO’S EXPENCE

THE SINGLE COLLABORATION

THE BIGGER PICTURE: LATE NIGHT WARS

• THE “LATE NIGHT WARS” IS A REOCCURRING TITLE THAT APPEARS WHENEVER THERE IS CONTROVERSY AMONG LENO AND LETTERMAN.

• THE LATE NIGHT WARS DEFINED AN ERA OF TALK SHOWS WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN AN IMPOSSIBILITY WITHOUT THE RIVALRY.

• ALTHOUGH CARSON LEFT BIG SHOES TO FILL, THE WARS HELPED TO FILL THE VOID THAT THE EVER-LOVED CARSON LEFT

• THEY BOTH WORKED FOR “HOLLYWOOD” AND “THE MEDIA”

WORKS CITED

“David Letterman Retiring 2015” justjared.com. Just Jared inc. Photograph. 10/15/2014

“Jay Leno Tickets”ticketmaster.com. Ticket Master. Photograph. 10/15/2014

Corrine Heller. “OTRC: David Letterman vs. Jay Leno: 6 Facts about Rivalry, “Late Night Wars”abc7.com. Ontheredcarpet.com. Internet Article. 10/15/2014

Tim Kenneally “David Letterman vs. Jay Leno: A Timeline of Their Legendary Late-Night Rivalry”The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. Internet Article. 10/15/2014

“Late Show With David Letterman Oprah Winfreh and Jay Leno Superbowl XLIV 2010 Commercial”youtube.com. YouTube. Video Clip. 10/15/2014

Joseph Adaliad. “The Late Night Wars Can Finally Declare a Winner: David Letterman” Vulture.com. New York Magazine. Internet Article. 10/15/2014