According to Deadline, David Letterman visited the filming spot for The Late Show for the first time since his retirement eight years ago. The filming spot is located at Manhattan’s Ed Sullivan Theater. He spoke with his successor, Stephen Colbert, about various topics surrounding the show since his departure.
Letterman had hosted The Late Show, which runs on CBS, from 1983 all the way up until 2015, Deadline reported. The show runs on weeknights at 11:45 pm EST. It is a talk show that specializes in dry humor and satirical commentary along with various interviews from celebrities and other big names.
During the segment, Colbert revealed that he befriended Dick Cavett, who aired on TV from the mid 1960s until the early 200os, and often went to him for advice, wondering if Letterman did the same thing with Johnny Carson. Deadline reported that he responded with “Johnny is, was, the Mount Olympus,” and “you didn’t just call Johnny and say, ‘Hey, Johnny, what do you think? Should I do this? What about the color of the socks, are they going to be alright, Johnny?’ So, no, I was pretty much alone. I was orphaned in the talk show world.”
Fans let out their sympathy for Letterman at the term orphan, to which he restored his comedic character by saying “I don’t appreciate the sarcasm,” with a fully deadpanned face. It was able to serve as a reminder to the audience of what the show was like pre-Colbert, says Deadline.
Letterman also revealed that he misses the world of late night television, says Deadline. He claimed, “Very few things in life provide one the opportunity — and I can’t speak for you on this topic — but for me, if you muck one up, 24 hours later, you get to try again. And that’s a pretty good device.”