Jay Leno had a lot to say about the long-running rumors of a feud with fellow comedic legend David Letterman.
During an interview on the April 23 episode of “In Depth With Graham Bensinger,” the 74-year-old comedian discussed his relationship with Letterman, saying that the media’s portrayal of their rivalry was not an accurate representation, according to People.
“I get people come to me and go, ‘You stole the show,'” he said of taking over “The Tonight Show” in 1992 following Johnny Carson’s departure, adding that the “Late Show with David Letterman” was “a huge success.”
Although many expected Letterman, now 78, to land the sought-after position, it was Leno who ultimately won the role, leading the media to create a rivalry between the two.
“NBC realized if they move [Letterman] down to 11:30, they lose the 12:30 spot,” Leno continued. “I was guest-hosting for five years before I got the show. People think, Oh, I got the show, and I just took it away from Dave. Dave never had the show. Johnny preferred Dave, but NBC wanted to keep Dave where he was.”
During the interview, Leno also revealed that he was open to reuniting with Letterman but wasn’t sure if the feelings were mutual.
“I would like to do that,” he said. “I think I have no problem. I think Dave might be awkward. Dave’s a quirky guy — I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
Leno went on to share a memory of riding motorcycles in Malibu with Wil Shriner when they spontaneously decided to drop by Letterman’s house for an unannounced visit.
“It was the most awkward day,” he said. “He was like, ‘Huh? Oh yeah, uh, come on in.’ And we’re like, ‘Oh, this is a mistake.’ Really, it was just so awkward.”
Leno described the situation as “weird,” noting that the two had “nothing else in common other than comedy.”
“I mean, believe me, if they want to do something, I would do it. But I’m not going to — I tend to get my hand bitten when I instigate those kinds of things,” he said.
In 2021, a six-part CNN docuseries explored the infamous “late-night war,” during which Jimmy Brogan, a monologue writer for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” revealed that “Jay had a secret agreement,” according to People.
“Jay had the secret deal,” Brogan said.
Rick Ludwin, the vice president of NBC from 1983 to 2012, said, “Jay Leno had just signed a new deal that guaranteed Jay ‘The Tonight Show,’ whenever Johnny [Carson] stepped down.”
Brogan added that it was part of Leno’s “re-upping as the guest host, and that was set.”
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