David Letterman’s final Late Show will be on Wednesday, May 20 and just like many of us, fellow late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will be watching it.
But wait — doesn’t Kimmel have a show that’s on at the same time, 11:35 p.m. ET? Well, you are correct about that. But in deference to a fellow comedian and host whom he admires greatly, Kimmel will broadcast a rerun of Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 20.
“I have too much respect for Dave to do anything that would distract viewers from watching his final show,” Kimmel told the New York Times‘ Dave Itzkoff. “Plus, I’ll probably be crying all day, which makes it hard to work.”
Here is an appearance by Kimmel on The Late Show, in which you can see the admiration he and Letterman have for each other.
Will the other competing late-night shows follow Kimmel’s lead? It doesn’t appear so. Itzkoff reports that both Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien will run new editions of their respective programs that night.
However, The Daily Show and The Nightly Show had already decided to take that week off, so Jon Stewart and Larry Wilmore can watch Letterman’s final show while Comedy Central broadcasts reruns in their late-night timeslot. Perhaps we’ll all enjoy a moment of zen while watching Letterman sign off.
