Jay Leno and David Letterman both used to host late-night shows. They both have been each other’s tough competitors for almost two decades.
Leno hosts the show named “The Tonight’s Show” while Letterman hosts the famous show “Late Show”. The present age of Jay Leno is 71 years and that of David Letterman is 74 years.
Key Takeaways
- Jay Leno hosted “The Tonight Show,” while David Letterman hosted “Late Show with David Letterman.”
- Leno’s comedic style focuses on observational humor and puns, whereas Letterman’s involves sarcasm and self-deprecation.
- Letterman retired in 2015, while Leno has continued making TV appearances and hosting various shows, such as “Jay Leno’s Garage.”
Jay Leno vs David Letterman
Jay Leno hosted “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on NBC from 1992 to 2009, and again from 2010 to 2014. Leno is known for his affable demeanor and his signature monologue. David Letterman hosted “Late Night with David Letterman” on NBC from 1982 to 1993, and “The Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS from 1993 to 2015.
James Douglas Muir Leno or Jay Leno is an American host, writer, and comedian.
He used to do stand-up comedy for many years then he started hosting and his first show was “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in which he worked from 1992-2009. Then he hosted many shows.
David Michael Letterman is also an American host, producer, and writer.
He hosted overnight TV talk shows for 33 years, with his debut on the show “Last Night with David Letterman” on NBC on February 1, 1982, and lasted till May 20, 2015, as “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Jay Leno | David Letterman |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Seasons and episodes | He hosted 4610 episodes in 22 seasons. | He hosted 6080 episodes in 23 seasons. |
| Ranking as Host | He stood in 32nd position | His rank was 2nd |
| Famous Books | 50 Cars to Drive, Headlines, Leading with My Chin, Hot Wheels Cars | Late Show Fun Facts, An Altogether New Book of Top10, This Land was Made for You and Me |
| Net Worth | $450 Million | $400 Million |
| Shows hosted | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Jay Leno Show, Jay Leno’s Garage | The Late Show with David Letterman |
What is Jay Leno?
Born on 28 April 1950 at New Rochelle, United States Jay Leno completed his Bachelor of Arts in 1973 from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
He started his career as a stand-up comedian then in 1992 he presented himself as the host and gained popularity with the show “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” which he continued for 17 years.
He then hosted his show “The Jay Leno Show”. However, the show didn’t work and was finally canceled. Jay has worked in several movies also. Some of them are- In and Out, Ted2, Dave, Space Cowboys, and many more.
He has won many awards which include the People’s Choice Award, Primetime Emmy Award, Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, etc. Apart from his appearances in diverse films, Leno is plenty energetic in philanthropic works together with his wife.
Leno is likewise a ‘motor freak’ who has remarkably 286 automobiles, together with 169 cars and 117 bikes in his series.
He spends his free time in his garage where he has kept his gigantic collection and has additionally installed an internet site with the show named ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’ that consists of videos of his garage and the automobiles of his interest.
What is David Letterman?
David Letterman, an American late-night talk display personality, producer, and comedian was born on April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, United States popularly referred to as the host of the longest-running show “Late Show with David Letterman”.
He graduated from Ball State University in telecommunication in 1969.
Letterman attempted his hand at the TV as a wisecracking weatherman in Indianapolis. In 1975 he moved to Los Angeles, in which he commenced acting on the Comedy Store, a membership for fledgling stand-up comedians.
In 1978, he made the first of 22 appearances on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show.” The next year, Letterman, who had admired Carson since boyhood, made his first of many guest hosting appearances on the show.
Letterman’s popularity as a guest presenter earned him an NBC mid-morning program in 1979. The David Letterman Show.
However, his unconventional humor- exemplified by the point he dispatched an audience member out to fetch him coffee- did not have interaction with daylight hours viewers.
Although it obtained Emmy Awards, the show was canceled after three months. He has won many awards like the People’s Choice Award, Kennedy Center Honours, Peabody Personal Award, TCA Lifetime Achievement Award, and many more.
At present, he is hosting the Netflix series named My Guests Need No Introduction with David Letterman.
Main Differences Between Jay Leno and David Letterman
- Apart from being a TV host, Leno is also an avid car and bike collector. He additionally writes columns related to automobiles whereas Letterman, is likewise a TV and movie producer, proprietor of a record label, and co-proprietor of an auto racing team.
- Leno has won comparatively fewer awards than Letterman. Leno bagged 2 Emmy Awards while Letterman had eight Emmys and six awards from the American Comedy Awards.
- Leno has not hosted Oscars but Letterman has hosted it.
- Leno became the extra commercially successful host, there’s no disputing that. But Letterman became constantly the extra severely acclaimed one, who possibly became extra respected amongst his fans.
- Talking about family, Jay Leno has his parents, wife Mavis Leno, and one sibling Patrick Leno while in the David Letterman family, he has his parents, wife Regina Lasko, children Harry Joseph Letterman.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10584600802427013
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1532673×05280074
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Interesting to read about Jay Leno’s and David Letterman’s backgrounds. Their dedication to their careers is truly admirable.
Honestly, it is amazing that Leno has a collection of 286 automobiles. What a peculiar hobby, it’s really interesting.
It’s definitely a lot of cars. Peculiar or virtuous hobby, that’s for sure
It is a lot of cars. I’d love to have a collection that big
Jay Leno and David Letterman are both very talented and have had good careers. Leno’s personal interests in cars and motorcycles are very interesting.
Jay Leno and David Letterman are quite interesting characters. I find it curious they have such different styles.
I disagree. The tone of the article is off. It’s not a competition, it’s interesting to know about both careers without comparing who is the best.
The comparison is quite illuminating. Both have had very successful careers, but in different ways. It is inevitable to compare them
Definitely! This is not a competition, we can appreciate both without comparing
I find all this comparison very informative. Very interesting to know more about these two figures from the late-night shows.