the person who deserved to get it was david letterman. he didn't get it. jay leno got it. >> leno, who earlier rode his motorcycle into a news conference hosted by nbc entertainment president warren littlefield, still has a bruised ego about the way the network wavered in its support for him. >> when we found out that leno was going to get the tonight show, we were all obviously. >> depressed. we felt like we were being punished for making fun of them and not cooperating and not being as collaborative as we could have been. uh, and we also felt like we were being disrespected because we did 11 years of great shows. >> just how off are you? >> by all rights? david letterman should have taken over for johnny carson, but his agent took a very, very aggressive stand. we're going to really control all of the late night. um, it's going to cost you a fortune. and they put our backs to the wall. >> i can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you. >> and i hope when i find som

and i remember watching her when she was on david letterman many years later.nd so i was weeping uncontrollably in my lounge room watching her on david letterman. >> what's on the cards for you in 2025? >> i want to stay home a bit more and just be downstairs in the studio and messing around and just hang with cecilia, my wife and the dog. it's simple, simple things. >> happy new year, colin. >> happy new year, linda. >> and max. in the coming hours and special, we will have performances from men at work, including the iconic song down under. we'll also have performances and an interview i got with sting when he was touring in atlanta. but right now we're about 15 minutes away from the 9 p.m. fireworks, also known as the children's fireworks, which this year are curated by an indigenous group known as we are warriors. and then, of course, the grand finale at midnight, where the entire sky will be lit up for some seven kilometers over four miles of fireworks from the harbor bridge. the sails of the opera house, skyscrapers, and of course, some floating barges in

here he is no one could go on the david letterman show and try to steer it towards a point of view, orpush something in particular. >> he just wouldn't stand for it. you're on to do one thing and one thing only be as funny as the rest of the show. you know, we could get in a two shot here, dave. >> we could actually send the crew home, couldn't we you know, as a comedian, you want the biggest audience that you could get for dave, he knew a lot of things that he would do. >> were going to alienate people and he didn't care. he wanted his thumbprint out there and that's the most important thing. it's time for small town news paul. >> excuse me. paul, do you have any have any accompanying music here for small town news paul shaffer, ladies and gentlemen, the show making fun of itself and turning itself inside out that way was something kind of new. >> i mean, don't we look like guys that you'd see hanging around together? >> absolutely. would you like to hang around with me? nope how are you doing? >> and i'll say it again. this is the stupidest show i've. >> i thought that i would never

right, david letterman originally had a one hour daytime show and nbc, after like 13 weeks, decided toancel it. >> today is our last show on the air monday. las vegas. have these people been frisked before they. >> it was a dismal failure in terms of the ratings, but not in terms of introducing us to letterman. >> david, thank you for being with us tonight. >> thank you very much for having me. i appreciate it. and in spite of all this nonsense that goes around in the background, stay with it. >> don't give up and stay with us here in new york. we like having i like being here. >> thank you very much. >> dave is back in new york. you're going to host a late night television program that premieres monday night. what are what are critics likely to say tuesday morning? >> i don't much care because i found a way to deal with that. >> pills and whiskey. >> you're on. oh. >> i'm on. i'm sorry. >> enjoying listening to you snort? >> they gave him the late night show after the tonight show. and at the time, people thought, who's going to watch television at 1230 at night? who's up? >> i'll tel

and i remember watching her when she was on david letterman many years later.was weeping uncontrollably in my lounge room watching her on david letterman. >> what's on the cards for you in 2025? >> i want to stay home a bit more and just be downstairs in the studio and messing around and just hang with cecilia, my wife and the dog. it's simple, simple things. >> happy new year, colin. >> happy new year, linda. >> and still ahead, six time tony winner audra mcdonald is wowing broadway audiences as mama rose in gypsy, the iconic musical. packing them in heading into a new year. >> hi, i'm naomi osaka, and i'm wishing you all a healthy and happy new years. >> hi, i'm kay nishikori. >> i would like to wish everyone healthy and happy new year. >> hank used to suffer from what felt like a cold and flu medicine hangover in the morning. then he switched to mucinex nightshift. mucinex is uniquely formulated to leave your system faster, so you wake up ready to go. dry mucinex nightshift and feel the difference. >> psoriatic arthritis symptoms can be unpredictable. >> one

watched late-night television over the last 60 years or so from steve allen and johnny carson to david lettermanaw the deck of cards. reach in your left pocket, please. jack of hearts -- what's the card? >> jack of hearts, langs. >> long before he appeared a staggering 88 times on the tonight show, george kresge was a boy growing up in new jersey reading the comic strip mandrake the magician. he began as a mentalist making bold predictions by reading body language and using the power of suggestion. in 1964 he made his first television appearance on "the steve allen show" under the name the amazing kresgean and was a favorite of johnny carson. >> is the last digit a 5 or a 3? >> 3. >> it is a 3? would you have placed -- stop me and put the win on 143. >> correct. >> john? >> it is 143. >> kresgkin wrote books sharing the secrets of his gift and had his own syndicated tv show and even a milton bradley board game. he made annual new year's day predictions about everything from the super bowl to presidential elections. john malkavich played in "the great buck howard." at the shows where in his trade

. >> john: well, we do remember back in the late 1990s when al gore brought an ashtray on the david lettermanuble hearing you. >> john: all right, there was a moment from back in the 1990s were al gore was pointing out that a government-purchased ashtray cost 50 times more than if you bought it and your local store. congressman, thank you so much for joining us. we appreciate it. >> appreciate it. >> john: watch to see what d.o.g.e. comes up with peered. >> sandra: john, we are awaiting that extradition hearing for the suspected killer of unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson. we are watching for any developments, and we will bring you those as soon as we get them. that is a live shot where we could be seeing him shortly. former assistant u.s. attorney andy mccarthy is on deck. he will join us next. (vo) these days, $20 won't get you far. but at red lobster, you're big shrimpin' baby! it's shrimp your way. choose 3 flavors for $20*, like crispy dragon shrimp. get to big shrimpin' today, only at red lobster. ♪ ♪ >> sandra: all right, we are watching live there in hollidaysburg p.a. that is the b

as david letterman told rod when he appeared on the late show in 2009, the more you talked and the more you repeated your innocence, the more i said to myself, oh, this guy is guilty. so during the period from your impeachment to your trial and your sentencing, you did a lot of media appearances. what was the strategy behind that? >> my feeling was, look, i didn't do any of that stuff. and what does somebody do who's being lied about? but you have a tremendous desire to get on to the highest mountain and yell out, i didn't do it! >> letterman said that the louder you yelled it, the more it made him think you were guilty. yeah. >> i mean, i didn't convince him, but i think i convinced donald trump. that's why i got invited on celebrity apprentice. right? i have great respect for your tenacity, for the fact that you just don't give up. but, rod, you're fired. >> what i saw over the course of rod's career was a guy who started off as kind of a charming rogue, and a guy who really did give voice to concerns that people had to someone who became almost a parody of himself. and by the time th

[ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: this is a -- this is, like, a tradition going back -- david lettermanst singers of all time. her voice is unbelievable. but every holiday, darlene love would go on "letterman" and sing "christmas (baby please come home)." and it's been a tradition for years. and it's an honor to have -- [ applause ] it was great. and we're happy to keep that tradition going tonight. [ cheers and applause ] darlene love is here performing "christmas (baby please come home)" featuring little steven and the disciples of soul. they're all here. [ cheers and applause ] little steven's here too. and another special guest who's fun. guys, we have exactly two shows left before we go on christmas break, which means it's time for that beloved "tonight show" tradition, "12 days of christmas sweaters." here we go. ♪ 12 days of christmas sweaters 2 days left ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: that's right. every show between now and christmas, we'll be giving one lucky audience member an outrageous christmas sweater from our "countdown to christmas" cabinet. since there are two sho

lilly tomlin, steve martin, david letterman, lorne michaels, neil simon, carol burnett, and our nexteers and applause ] ♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. >> seth: billy, it is so good to have you back. it's so good to have you bk. >> i'm waving to the band. >> seth: yeah. [ laughter ] >> how are you? it's great to be back. >> seth: good. it's nice to have you here. it's nice to have you back in new york city. i apologize for the weather. it's a little cold. >> oh, man. cold. very cold. >> seth: well you -- i mean you used to live here. you know what it's like. >> yeah, but i've been in california a long time. >> seth: so is this a shock to your system? >> oh, yeah. yeah, blood gets very thin, and if it gets below 72, i need a wrap. [ light laughter ] >> seth: but -- you grew up here. you were a kid here. what was it like being a -- do you remember that? >> yes, i do. >> seth: oh, that's very nice of you. [ laughter ] >> do you remember that, pop? when you were a kid, pop. do you remember when you were a kid? you look like you but smaller. do you remember that? [ light laughte

. >> i don't know, is it -- >> i've asked for the foo fighters to play me out like david letterman. >> yeah. >> they haven't responded yet to our request. i'm not sure that's going to happen or not. >> we'll be reaching out. >> yes, see if they're available. >> in the corner near rattner. >> we look forward to you and your new iteration. >> thank you, guys. appreciate it. >>> we begin with president-elect's warning to senate republicans, opposed to some of his cabinet nominations. in a wide-ranging news conference from his palm beach estate yesterday, the president-elect was asked about lawmakers who don't support his picks. here is what he said. >> senators who oppose your nominees, your cabinet knock-knees, should they be primaried? >> if they are unreasonable. i'll give you a different answer, an answer you'll be shocked to hear. if they're unreasonable, if they're opposing somebody for political reasons or stupid reasons, i would say has nothing to do with me. i would say they probably would be primaried. but if they're reasonable, fair, and really disagree with something or someb