David Letterman May Have Lost Some Battles, But He Won the Late-Night Wars

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Sure, David Letterman lost some battles along the way.

He waited out Johnny Carson in vain. Ceded ratings supremacy to Jay Leno. Endured embarrassing personal entanglements (stalking, blackmail), made some missteps (inappropriate workplace relationships) and faced real peril (emergency open heart surgery), all while remaining fiercely private.

SEE ALSO: David Letterman's Top 10 Late Night Television Moments

In spite of it all, Letterman outlasted a lot of lesser late-night lights to become the longest-running host on network TV. He’ll have some 33 years behind the desk by the time he retires next year, a few more than even Carson logged in his own legendary run. Read more...

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