“The Connection To My Mother” - David Letterman’s Fondest Recollection About His “Late Show”

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:01][music] [music] right here. Hey everybody, we're back.

[00:00:10]The game, please have a seat, everybody.

[00:00:12]>> Thank you. Hi. How's [cheering] it going?

[00:00:14]>> Nice. [applause] You know, uh this this is a >> I'll just say it right now. The last thing we would want to do is be out here with real people. These are all actors.

[00:00:21]>> Yes.

[00:00:23]>> I'll tell you a true story. When we uh took over for the theater, we uh these seats have kind of all busted out. They hadn't been replaced in a long time. We replaced all of the seats. They had been 19 in wide, but we no longer felt that fit the American ass.

[00:00:38][laughter] We went to 24 in wide.

[00:00:43]We call them the high fructose seats.

[00:00:45]>> I see. [laughter] >> So, what you're saying is everyone here tonight has had their ass measured.

[00:00:50]>> Yes. And wanded. And wanded. [laughter] >> Well, I'm not used to sitting out here in the audience. It's very comfortable.

[00:00:57]I'm loving every minute of it. I'm so glad.

[00:01:00]>> Well, we're loving having you, Dave.

[00:01:02][applause and cheering] >> I'm just curious.

[00:01:07]>> I'm curious. Maybe May maybe may maybe someday in the future I'll come back to this theater when now that you've returned to it. Any memories coming back to you?

[00:01:15]>> Uh well, the memories are infinite coming back here. More so this time than I was on. You were nice enough to invite me on a couple of years ago. That was a big uh emotion-packed moment as well.

[00:01:26]the memories now because this thing has come to a screeching halt by other hands. U and and I guess the connection to my mother through the the late show.

[00:01:36]She and I had a well, you know what mothers are like, right? [laughter] Uh and and I think my mother and I only really finally became close when she was part of the Late Show production. And we we sent her to Norway and That's right.

[00:01:52]And people to this day, like that fellow, that misguided man back there, [laughter] always tell me they loved my mother more than they did me on the show. And that still pisses me off. [laughter] And I think the reason we were not so close earlier in our lives is because she was named American Miss American tacetern 90 years in a row. [laughter] Uh here's a a conversation that I used to have with my mother. David, that's not funny.

[00:02:23][laughter] Uh, we sent her to Norway and when she got back, I said, "Mom, did you see any of the Fjords?"

[00:02:32]Yes, they were beautiful.

[00:02:35]>> Yes. And then I said, "Well, what about Chevys? Did you see any Chevys?"

[00:02:39][laughter] Woo.

[00:02:43][applause] Now, here's a memorable allelling conversation, and I don't want you to read into this all negativity because I'm sure it was meant in good fun.

[00:02:53][laughter] I I get a call at the house, my wife and I, it's a Saturday and we're making Saturday evening dinner. The phone rings, it's, "Hello, David. It's mom."

[00:03:05]Oh, hi, Mom. What can I do for you?

[00:03:07]Well, we finished our estate planning and you're not in the will.

[00:03:13][laughter] So, you >> It's like that a little bit, but I'm fine now. Fine. [laughter] Uh, you know, I really loved when your mom was on the show. I love the reveal of the pies for Thanksgiving, right?

[00:03:30]Everything is wonderful. So much though.

[00:03:32]I actually have a copy of your mom's cookbook uh right here. Can we Sarah VMR? She's the producer. I think you've met her.

[00:03:37]>> Yes, I believe we have.

[00:03:38]>> Sarah Vcommerson. Wonderful. Sarah Vcomrson. Everybody [applause] pass that down.

[00:03:46]Thank you very much. Want to show the people the [applause] You want to show the people at home the uh the cookbook? That's Dave's mom's.

[00:03:53]Can we get a shot of that, please, Ivon?

[00:03:54]There you go. Dave's mom's cookbook.

[00:03:56][cheering] >> I was wondering whether you'd be [applause] willing to be willing to sign on behalf of your mother. is to you or to Sara?

[00:04:04]>> Uh uh, how about Sara?

[00:04:08]>> How do you spell that?

[00:04:09]>> S A R A.

[00:04:13]>> Okay.

[00:04:14][laughter] >> S A >> R A. Okay. S.

[00:04:22]>> Sara. Not Sarah. It's Sara. It's a problem >> for all of us. What?

[00:04:28]>> It's a It's a problem for all of us.

[00:04:31][laughter] Is that what you said?

[00:04:32]>> That sounds good. Dave, I'm sorry.

[00:04:33]There's a young man who wants your attention.

[00:04:34]>> We're all set for you. Let's go.

[00:04:35]>> Oh, we have to.

[00:04:36]>> Okay, let's go.

[00:04:37]>> All right. Uh, what is what's happening?

[00:04:40]Hey, Dave. Follow me. Yeah.

[00:04:41]>> If we're going to go out, um, would you before we go, would you mind uh throwing a commercial?

[00:04:45]>> Okay. The late show with Steven Colbear will continue with Dave Letterman right after this.

[00:04:52][cheering] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat.

[00:05:26]>> [music] >> Come on. Yeah. [cheering]