While agonizing over whether to leave NBC, David Letterman asked Johnny Carson for advice. "I'd probably walk," Carson told him, a new book says.
According to "Late Shift" by New York Times TV reporter Bill Carter, Letterman called Carson in December 1992 after Jay Leno was hired to replace Carson on "Tonight," a job Letterman long had wanted."You have to do what's best for your career," Carson told Letterman. "Do what's in your heart."
Letterman asked: "What would you do if you were in this situation, Johnny?"
"I'd probably walk," Carson said. "I'm not telling you to do that, David. But if you're asking me what I'd do, if I had been treated like that, I would probably walk."
Letterman walked - right on over to CBS, where he has a $14 million salary and late-night's top-rated show.