David Letterman has endured several different experiences during his time in the spotlight. He had to deal with Bill Cosby and his weird rules as a guest, which included eating lunch with Letterman's interns. What made the request that much more bizarre is the fact that he wouldn't say anything, and would just sit there and eat while they watched...
Letterman himself has been put on blast by others. Richard Simmons revealed that the Late Show host is completely different off-camera, compared to on it. Dave isn't afraid to speak his mind but in the view of some, he might take things too far.
In this instance with ESPN, it really didn't seem like Letterman's story was all that bad. We'll take a look back at what went down, and why ESPN cut to commercial during Dave's appearence on the ManningCast.
In additon, we'll take a closer look at other bans issued by ESPN in the past, and we're also going to take a look at David Letterman's rocky history with certain guests. In fact, like ESPN, Letterman had to cut to commercial during a certain interview.
ESPN Has Some Strict Rules Behind The Scenes, Including A Ban On Their Employees Appearing Elsewhere
Pat McAfee has become a major name in the world of pro sports, in large part, thanks to his highly entertaining show, The Pat McAfee Show. However, the host did reveal that getting certain guests wasn't always easy, and that was especially true for those that worked for ESPN.
McAfee revealed, "Hey, just know this, there were no ESPN people on the show today. New mandate. New mandate they’re not allowed on the show. We had some good times with some of those. Teammates, friends, people that I’ve known for years. Not allowed anymore. Don’t come.”
However, ESPN did issue a statement of their own, denying the claims. A network representative spoke out, claiming that ESPN was trying to find the best way possible for their employees to appear on other show, and that no ban was put in place.
From ESPN: “We didn’t intend to ban ESPN guests from the show & there is certainly no ban going forward. We are in the midst of figuring out the best process for future guests to appear on outside platforms & Pat will continue to make regular appearances on ESPN shows," a tweet from Richard Deitsch reads.
McAfee wasn't the only person to raise eyebrows alongside ESPN.
ESPN Cut To Commercial When David Letterman Was Talking About Roger Goddell Getting Booed
David Letterman was in fine form on the ManningCast, poking fun at certain individuals. Among his targets including Bill Belichick, stating, "You get the guy who blows his nose in his hand and then wipes his sweatshirt."
However, things would take a turn when Letterman started discussing the NFL's commissioner, and his experience with Colts fans. Letterman loved the fact that he would get booed and just when he was revealing a behind the scenes story with Goddell and their experience, the feed randomly cuts to commercial.
Fans did admit that a guest getting cutting cut by a commercial wasn't anything new on the ManningCast. However, it was odd that the game was still rolling on. ESPN did not issue a statement and address the matter, neither did Letterman or the Mannings.
David Letterman Had His Own Experiences Of Wanting To Cut To Commercial During An Interview
David Letterman's interview with Crispin Glover might've been the most awkward of his entire career. Glover was in quite the mood, telling Dave, "I'm strong, I can arm wrestle, I can kick." He would proceed to throw a kick, and one that almost took Dave's head off. Letterman would continue by saying, "I'm gonna go check on that top ten," as the feed then cuts to commercial.
Letterman would also put bans of his own in place during his run on Late Night. The most memorable has to go to Harmony Korine. The guest was sent home and never invited back again after Dave caught him going through Meryl Streep's purse backstage.
Letterman retold the story with James Franco. He explained, "I went upstairs to greet Meryl Streep and welcome her to the show, and I knock on the door … and she was not in there," he said. "And I looked around, and she was not in there, and I found Harmony going through her purse. True story. And so I said: 'That's it, put her things back in her bag and then get out.'"
Dave has basically seen it all throughout his professional career.