Analyzing the Competition between Jay Leno and David Letterman.

1. COMEDIC COMPETITION
AN ANALYSIS OF THE COMPETITIVE HISTORY OF
JAY LENO AND DAVID LETTERMAN
BY SARAH ROSS & GRETCHEN SCHERER

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. THE SINGLE COLLABORATION

6. 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”

7. 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