Radio icon Howard Stern appeared on his old friend David Letterman's show last night to help the long time late night host celebrate thirty years on the air. Letterman and Stern have been comrades for many years, ever since Howard's first appearance on Dave's NBC late night show, "Late Night With David Letterman." During the appearance, Dave even brought out a picture from Stern's first appearance and the two joked about their bad hair style choices.
The two also discussed Howard's loyalty to Dave which he has pledged in the form of never appearing on Jay Leno's show on NBC, "The Tonight Show." Letterman and Leno's feud goes back to the kerfuffle over replacing Johnny Carson when he retired. The dust up was the subject of a book and HBO original movie, and when the dust had finally settled, Letterman had bitterly left NBC and a long-standing grudge with Jay was formed.
Letterman last night insisted that NBC would pressure Stern into going onto "The Tonight Show" to bury the hatchet with Leno, creating intra-network harmony. Howard swore up and down that it just wouldn't happen. It is an interesting point that Letterman raised though, and chances are that NBC executives will make a play to have Howard and Jay reconcile...but should they?
They Should Patch Things Up
All three of these titans of broadcasting, Stern, Letterman and Leno, aren't spring chickens. They're middle-aged men, and there is something silly about three grown men entwined in a show business spat. If Stern does go on "The Tonight Show," it will also mean huge ratings for the show, which would benefit his new employer's and maybe show the world Stern's not a total jerk, something that his reputation may force Stern to combat if he's going to last on "America's Got Talent."
Another reason Stern should just go on Leno's show is that no matter what the outcome it will be vastly superior to the average content "The Tonight Show" puts out. Critics have long held that Jay's show is about as boring and predictable as a talk show can be. Even if he's going on there to bury the hatchet, chances are there will still be some residual heat and tension, which Stern knows how to play off and turn into comedy.
They Should Keep Their Swords Drawn
Who are we kidding? Part of what makes Howard such a draw is his ability to savagely pick apart those he feels has wronged him. Jay Leno is one of the biggest sources of Howard's ire, ever since "Stuttering" John Melendez left Howard's radio show for Leno's TV show. The fire in Howard's belly over the situation is part of what fans love about him; his ability to buy completely into a sentiment and to express himself honestly through that sentiment.
Let's face it, just Howard's presence alone on the same network as Jay is enough to entertain. He's a time bomb of sorts, which is definitely why NBC hired him. If he were to go on Leno's show, maybe they could patch things up, but in the process Howard would be selling out his ethics and kowtowing to his bosses, which any fan of The King of All Media knows, just is not his style at all.
Do you think Howard Stern and Jay Leno should patch things up? Drop a comment and let us know!
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