What David Letterman has said about Late-night television hosting

2 quotes · 1 episode · May 8, 2026

David Letterman, Late-night host who competed for The Tonight Show, has been quoted on Late-night television hosting 2 times in 1 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, most recently on May 8, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.

In their words

Letterman says he rarely used guest hosts because he feared losing his show if he gave up the chair.
“deadly scared that if I gave up the seat, I'd lose the show”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Five NBA Playoff Takes, Plus David Letterman’s First-Ever BS Pod Appearance (We Did It!!!) (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 1:05:39
Letterman recounts personally calling Michael Jordan to ask him back on the show, but Jordan never returned.
“I called him and I flat out asked him, I said, we really would like you to come back”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Five NBA Playoff Takes, Plus David Letterman’s First-Ever BS Pod Appearance (We Did It!!!) (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 1:29:35

Five NBA Playoff Takes, Plus David Letterman’s First-Ever BS Pod Appearance (We Did It!!!)
The Bill Simmons Podcast · May 8, 2026 · 1 h 57 min
Bill Simmons shares NBA second-round playoff takes, then interviews David Letterman about retirement, late-night TV, yacht rock, comedy peers, sports rule ideas and Netflix.