David Letterman explains how he fell out of love with late night television
David Letterman is not dead yet. "With years of vitality left, he has been trying, since his Late Show farewell in May 2015, to figure out what his next step should be," The New York Times reports. But while the 69-year-old is unsure what exactly his future holds, he knows for sure what won't be in it: "I don't miss late-night television,” he told the Times. "And I'm a little embarrassed that, for 33 years, it was the laser focus of my life."
While late night might not have the appeal it used to for Letterman, he is not quitting TV altogether. His brief appearance in the new documentary series, Years of Living Dangerously, made him enthusiastic about "doing television that aims to educate a mass audience on serious subjects." Letterman also expressed his admiration for absurdist comedies like Veep and Portlandia.
"I keep saying, jeez, I still think I can do something," Letterman said. Read more about his post-Late Night life at The New York Times.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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