HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

David Letterman's talk show guest reveals how he truly his when the cameras are off: "He's more..."

A major A-lister revealed the one thing you can’t do when David Letterman's show goes on a commercial break

David Letterman has the knack of putting his guests at ease in front of the camera and extracting the most outrageous stories out of them. However, a famous recurring guest on the 'Late Show With David Letterman' shockingly revealed that the seasoned host put up an excellent act during the taping while his camaraderie fell flat off-camera. As per The Things, Fitness instructor Richard Simmons confessed that Letterman played aloof when he extended a hand of friendship during one of their many commercial breaks. "The last time I was on, we went to commercial, and I was like, 'I'd love to meet your wife!' He was like, 'You never will.' And then I was like, 'And see your son!' And he was like, 'You'll never see him.' And then we come back from the commercial, and he's all friendly with me again. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not making this up."

Simmons and Letterman left audiences in stitches with their entertaining topics and impromptu acts; however, the fitness pro disclosed that the latter was extremely picky when it came to meeting guests before and after the show. Additionally, Simmons also revealed a strange practice that was carried out during the commercial breaks as well: "I love David. He's more complicated than any of them, that David," the fitness coach said, adding, "You know, I've never actually met him? You do the show with him, and when they go to commercial, they remove you. You're just not allowed to talk to him. Or if you are, he's very standoffish." 

Simmons was hesitant to return to the show after experiencing the ongoing humiliation of being ignored off-camera. He confessed, "Maybe one day, when the time and everything is right. Because I do love him." It has been reported that Letterman's strange spat with Simmons continued with the TV presenter making offensive remarks regarding the extroverted fitness personality's commercial endeavors and flashy demeanor. As per The Things, on the show, Simmons advertised a range of his goods and quirky style. At one point, he was seen wearing a turkey suit, and Letterman drove him off stage with a fire extinguisher.

In 1997, when Simmons released his cookbook 'Sweetie Pie', Letterman took a dig at the recipes and even tossed a few eggs in the air. During another episode, Simmons advertised his vegetable steamer and the TV host made fun of it, saying, "You know what this reminds me of is the bamboo steamer. You can get it for like eight bucks." The fitness coach gave a curt reply and compared Letterman's $125 tie with his $55 steamer. "That's a hundred and twenty-five-dollar tie. I know that tie. You spent more money on your tie than my steamer." Despite Letterman's condescending behavior, Simmons ended up amassing a $20 million net worth before he died in 2024.

A particular incident about the late-night host revealed his preference for mingling with only A-listers while conducting the talk show. It has been reported that filmmaker Harmony Korine was banned from his guest list when she was caught red-handed going through a celebrity's purse. "I went upstairs to greet Meryl Streep and welcome her to the show, and I knocked on the door and she was not in there," Letterman recalled during one of his segments. "And I looked around, and she was not in there, and I found Harmony going through her purse," Letterman revealed that he ordered Korine to put all of Streep's belongings back into the bag and get out.