Throughout the history of the Late Show, David Letterman had so many memorable interviews. However, in the following, we're going to take a closer look at which episodes actually drove the ratings upwards and brought in the viewers.
As expected, his final episode brought in a massive audience. We'll take a look back at Letterman's special farewell, and the specific request he had for that episode behind the scenes.
In addition, we'll reveal which interview turned into one of his most-watched of all-time. A major reason for it was his guest. The person was someone Letterman had feuded with in the past. Given their rocky history, fans didn't think his guest would ever return following their bumpy interview back in 1989. Not only did she return, but it made for a must-watch moment on late night TV, with over 13.5 million fans tuning in.
Oprah Winfrey Had A Rocky History With David Letterman, And Wasn't A Fan Of Her Late Show Appearance
The start of the feud between Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman is unclear. Some feel as though it all started after Letterman made a joke about the legendary host at the Oscars. However, Dave revealed that tension might've started long before that, after a certain moment at a restaurant.
“This predates the Academy Awards. She hated me long before then,” he said. “She was with Steadman (Graham). I was with my then-girlfriend Regina. We were both at a restaurant having lunch on vacation. I said to Regina, ‘Oh, this is hilarious. I’m gonna make Oprah buy us lunch."
Letterman continues, “Oh, this woman right over there has been kind enough to take care of our check”. He and Regina then waved to Winfrey as they left the premises. “We got a free lunch and that’s where it started,” he recalled.
It seems like things didn't get any better during their episode together in 1989 when Oprah appeared on the Late Show. She was fresh off a controversial episode which featured 'devil-worshipping' as the main topic. Although Oprah felt serious about the ordeal, Letterman as per usual made light of it, while the host's audience also gave Winfrey a rough ride.
Dave feels as though given that he didn't come to Oprah's defense, it soured things between the two even further.
Oprah's Return To The Late Show With David Letterman Became One Of The Most-Watched Episodes Of All-Time
It took a moment, in fact, almost two decades... Oprah finally returned to Letterman's Late Show in early December of 2005. She hadn't appeared since the late '80s.
As expected, Letterman's viewership spiked for the episode, as it brought in 13.5 million viewers, which is truly a remarkable number for late night television. According to the LA Times, it was one of the most-watched episodes in the show's lengthy history.
It wasn't Oprah's last appearance alongside Dave. She waited another eight years for her next guest appearance, this time promoting her upcoming film at the time, Lee Daniel's The Butler. Oprah admitted she was nervous to take on the interview given how much time had past.
"It's been like eight years! I mean, the last time I was here I was so nervous, and then you were so nice to me."
As expected, Letterman made light of their past rift, continuing to apologize to Oprah. Clearly, it was a thing of the past, as the two put on an entertaining interview together.
David Letterman's Final Late Show Episode On The Late Show Was Another Major Success In The Ratings Department
What were some of Letterman's most-viewed episodes of the Late Show? According to LA Times, Letterman appearing after the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer was a big hit, along with his debut on CBS which brought in 15.1 million viewers back in 1993.
As expected, his farewell episode was also featured a massive spike to the Late Show's ratings, it became the most viewed episode since the infamous Oprah interview. 13.76 million viewers tuned in for Letterman's goodbye.
According to The Wrap, Letterman had one specific request for his final episode, and that included the tune of the Foo Fighters, Everlong for his goodbye montage.
The publication revealed, "Letterman dropped little hints of what he wanted in the montage, including that he wanted the whole thing to be done to the tune of Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.”
"But just as they were near done editing, Letterman threw a monkey wrench into everything by saying Foo Fighters should play the song live. It posed the challenges of getting the band to agree to perform, even though they wouldn’t appear on camera, and to get them to sync up their live performance with their carefully edited montage."
Quite the request, but as expected, Letterman got his way in an episode fans will never forget.
