In his book The Late Shift, about the battle for the “Tonight Show” on NBC, author Bill Carter wrote about an interesting dilemma David Letterman found himself in.
Letterman wanted to host the “Tonight Show,” but when it came time for Johnny Carson to retire, NBC gave it to Jay Leno. Later, when Leno’s ratings weren’t as strong as they hoped, they offered it to Letterman if he’d wait for Leno’s contract to run out.
As anyone who cares already knows, Letterman declined and went to CBS; and not because he didn’t want the job any more. He did, more than ever. But he didn’t want to be the host of the “Tonight Show” who succeeded Jay Leno; it didn’t mean anything to him. It was Carson whom he revered.
I was in high school when all that went down, but I’ve been thinking about that in terms of the 2020 election. Like Anne Frank, I believe despite everything that people are good at heart -- which means I have to believe people will come to their senses and deny Mr. Trump a second term.
But who would want to be president after Trump? Does holding the Oval Office have any meaning now that it’s been grabbed by Trump? I imagine scenes all across the country of parents telling their children, in America, anyone can be President. And children being confused, answering, yeah, obviously.
After Leno, I lost track of the line of succession at the Tonight Show. I’m not even sure which talk show is the “Tonight Show” anymore. (Is it Fallon? Kimmel?) I only hope the presidency fares better post Trump.
I’m Dan Libman, and that’s my perspective
