Since stepping down as the host of Late Show, David Letterman has been living his best life. He grew a beard, waxed philosophical about his past, joined Jon Stewart for the USO’s 75th birthday celebration, got drunk at the Indianapolis 500, continued to not shave his beard, visited India for National Geographic’s Years of Living Dangerously, called Donald Trump “despicable” and a “damaged human,” and did I mention the beard? It’s a truly majestic thing, like one of those birds that lives on another bigger animal. The New York Times asked Letterman if there’s any meaning behind his facial hair, if it’s a silent protest against the clean-shaven Jimmy Fallon, or maybe he’s preparing for a role in Cast Away 2: Wilson’s Revenge. Nope, he’s just lazy.
“I just got tired of shaving every day, but then it became something else, and I’m not quite sure what it became,” Letterman said. “The beard is a good reminder to me that that was a different life. I’m hopeful that I will either find something else, or something else will be presented to me.” He added, “My family has given up on the beard. My son thinks it’s creepy.” You know how some people get really into running marathons, and that’s all they want to talk about? That’s Letterman with beards; he even complimented India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, on his stubble during a recent interview. Besides, he has the perfect Halloween costume: homeless Santa Claus.
Later in the interview, Letterman revealed he doesn’t keep up with late-night hosts anymore, even the man who replaced him, Stephen Colbert. “The people that are doing late-night now all seem to be buddies,” he said. “They all seem to be, ‘Well, I’ll do your show for a week, and then you can do my show for a week.’ It’s like, wait a minute — what’s going on here? What happened to the late-night wars?” We really need Letterman this election, and in general.
(Via the New York Times)
