Conan O’Brien Pens Effusive Love Letter to David Letterman

Conan O’Brien, who took over NBC’s Late Night franchise in 1993 when David Letterman moved over to CBS, has written a tribute to the retiring “legend” for Entertainment Weekly that appeared online Friday and will be featured in the magazine’s upcoming collection of “farewells” to the longtime Late Show host.

“Before Dave departs, we need to really understand what it is he did,” O’Brien writes. “And what he did, almost 35 years ago, was stunning.”

O’Brien recalls his first encounter with Letterman’s “mischievous and ever so slightly malevolent” smile all the way back in 1980 when he was still hosting a comedy morning show: “What the hell? Who does a comedy show in the morning? What’s wrong with this guy? Who let this happen?” And later, he dismisses the “insipid late night wars” as ultimately “irrelevant.”

And finally, O’Brien makes this definitive statement about Letterman’s legacy:

Not one single writer/performer in the last 35 years has had Dave’s seismic impact on comedy. Every day, I read that a new comic has ‘changed the game,’ and admittedly there is an absurd abundance of talent and creativity out there right now. But in today’s’ world of 30 late night programs, it’s tempting now to take Dave for granted. Do not.

Read the full essay at ew.com.

[Photo via screengrab]

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