The 64 year-old talk show host let a bomb slip while interviewing Howard Stern.
The radio veteran appeared as a guest on the show to talk about a new app and ended up bashing Jay Leno for half of the interview.
“I want to see you beat Jay Leno in the ratings tonight,” Stern remarked, to large applause from the studio audience.
“I gotta tell you, I am so fascinated by the late night wars and what’s going on – I bought the book about it by Bill Carter and I follow this like the Torah! I study it, I love it!”
“You know, as well as everyone else in this room – Jay is horrible, right?” he quipped.
During the interview, Stern point blank asked Letterman, “how much longer are you doing this, really?” Letterman responded, “I don’t know. Maybe two more years?”
According to Bill Carter’s new book, “Tonight Show, The War for Late Night,” Craig Ferguson, the wily, Scottish comic actor who hosts the Late Late Show on CBS after Letterman, has been guaranteed he will be anointed successor whenever Letterman stops doing The Late Show.
February 04, 2011 at 7:26 pm, Jordan said:
Good. Craig has a natural funny wit to him like Dave. The show won’t be as popular due to Dave’s long tenure as the host, but I think it would be mildly successful if and when people give Craig the chance.
February 05, 2011 at 12:00 am, Anonymous said:
Actually the clause says in case Dave has a serious illness or can’t show up it doesn’t say he gets it regardless.
Crag is a “nitche” player. I don’t think he could beat Jay in a 11:35 time slot
February 05, 2011 at 12:39 am, Joel said:
don’t use words you don’t know how to spell
February 05, 2011 at 5:06 am, Anonymous said:
Screw off *rolls eyes*
Got an actual point to add here instead of being a dick?
February 05, 2011 at 9:31 pm, Dawn S said:
Could Craig beat Leno? Doubt he gives an ‘ooh-la-la’ to try to.
1) Where is Leno’s Peabody Award?
2) Mass appeal doesn’t mean much really. Just because the majority of Americans prefer ‘beer’ doesn’t make beer a better product; the more refined pallettes will always prefer the fine, fine products of Scotland.
3) Craig has never said he wanted the 11:30pm slot and that he has every respect for Letterman.
4) Craig is free to be Craig at 12:30pm. Try to censor or “construct” him to fit with a corporate-mentality 11:30pm agenda and you’ll lose the most intelligent, creative, honest, gifted, charming, deeply loved man on television.
Those of us who adore Craig are more than willing to stay up ’til 12:37!
RSA rules.
February 05, 2011 at 10:33 pm, Anonymous said:
You made some good points. CBS “would” care if Craig could win at 11:35. CBS tends to be an “older skewing” network over NBC. Craig’s median range is I want to say 53 and Fallon’s is like 49. Hell Jay’s is 55 median range. So who knows on that. He “could” compete at 11:35 but even when Dave went from 12:35 to 11:35 many of his hardcore fans say he slowly watered down his act hence why after 1.5 years he went to number 2 and stayed there. The same could possibly happen to Craig if he so chooses to be the Late Show successor.
February 05, 2011 at 5:25 am, Pattismack said:
Craig has repeatedy stated he has no interest in taking over for Letterman. He could never do what he does at 11:30. Guess we’ll see, won’t we? A lot more pressure at that hour.
February 05, 2011 at 6:25 am, Kathleen Lucas said:
He can handle it!
February 05, 2011 at 5:56 am, Kathleen Lucas said:
Craig is way funnier than David Letterman..it’s just that Dave’s more well known, but Craig will be more well known, too….
February 05, 2011 at 7:49 am, Catherine McCaw said:
I agree that Ferguson is funnier, although I enjoy watching both. The problem is, would he get the chance to run the 11:30 show long enough for people to get used to him? I think Ferguson is a lot funnier than Fallon, but Fallon seems to have better ratings and that seems to be what matters. My theory is that many of Ferguson’s viewers record the show and watch it at a decent hour while more of Fallon’s stay up late and watch. Also, a big part of what makes Ferguson funny is his cavalier attitude to the rules. Could he get away with that at 11:30?.
February 05, 2011 at 9:37 pm, Dawn S said:
I agree…I fear CBS moving Craig to 11:30 and trying to change him in any way. And what about Wavy, Sid, & Geoff…what would happen to them? [Especially Sid.]
February 06, 2011 at 8:43 am, Catherine McCaw said:
I LOVE Sid! I’m a church going school teacher. I only swear myself when I’m on my bike and a car almost kills me (so about three times a week here in Beijing), but I take a guilty vicarious pleasure in watching Sid!
Anyway, Letterman didn’t exactly say he was retiring, just that he was thinking of retiring after his current contract, so it’s probably a moot point.
February 07, 2011 at 1:04 am, Dawn S RSA-Cougar Division said:
Hello…so the Robot Skeleton Army is also represented in Beijing!!! One of the things I love most about Craig (thank you to “TVsCraigFerguson”) is that he has created a global…probably universal, given the Dr. Who special… family of followers. Move Craig to 11:30 and let him be who he is and we’re going to need a bigger hollowed out volcano!
February 05, 2011 at 7:59 pm, Tia Sutterfeld said:
Craig is smart and funny enough to easily handle the transition to 11:30 but is CBS smart enough to promote him? In both senses of the word–promote him to replace Dave and promote him, ya know, actually let people know he exists. He basically ties Fallon in the ratings now with no band, a crappy set, no production money and a half a commercial a year on CBS. Craig’s presence on the web is entirely fan-fueled. Fallon’s awright but his band and his writers and his sidekick, not to mention the NBC publicity department, do a LOT of heavy lifting on Fallon’s show. I’d love to see a budget comparison for the two shows. Craig is a genius but CBS don’t know Sheen from Shinola.
February 06, 2011 at 5:48 pm, Rhonda said:
Craig Ferguson is the best. Smart, witty and funny. Truly creative and talented in his craft. The world needs more like him
February 07, 2011 at 2:23 am, Patti said:
Nice to see all the support for Craig Ferguson. I commented previously that Craig has said he’s not interested in the 11:30 spot. But he also used to not be interested in ever being married again. I think if Craig wants to do it, I’d be suprised. There would be so much more b.s. to have to put up with from the suits, and I don’t know if he’d be allowed to blow them off as easily as he does now in the 12:30 slot. Of course, just thinking about it reminds me of the NBC debacle. Could CBS be relied upon to be any more supportive of Craig than NBC was of Conan? One thing is sure….I’d never miss an episode!
February 07, 2011 at 3:31 am, Anvil2_99 said:
Craig is way too good for that show. He would be far too restricted and couldn’t be “Craig.” But… Anything’s better than Letterman, even a toned-down Craig Ferguson.
February 08, 2011 at 5:22 am, Catherine McCaw said:
Does anyone else think that Conan O’Brien might be in the running to succeed Dave in two years? After all, he’s done it before… Don’t get me wrong, I think Ferguson should get his shot if he wants it, but I don’t know if he does or if he would be allowed to do the things that make him funny if he took the job.
The other name that comes up every time there are rumors that Dave may retire is Jon Stewart – In fact, Craig Ferguson has said in an interview that he thinks Jon Stewart should get the job – but I doubt Stewart is interested in the gig any more. Whenever he threatens to leave the Daily Show he cites the tiring schedule as his reason, and the Late Show has a much more demanding schedule.
February 28, 2011 at 12:51 am, Anonymous said:
Stewart would be interesting but he is more political satire and more accustomed to a half hour show. Not sure if folks want to kick back at 11:35 and hear Jon talk only politics the whole time.
Conan . .. I think we see how that worked out. Most Conan fans didn’t like him on the Tonight Show (I commonly heard he was not as funny as late night)
Ferguson would be an interesting choice. I don’t know how well any of them could beat Jay in the ratings.
February 28, 2011 at 12:51 am, Anonymous said:
Stewart would be interesting but he is more political satire and more accustomed to a half hour show. Not sure if folks want to kick back at 11:35 and hear Jon talk only politics the whole time.
Conan . .. I think we see how that worked out. Most Conan fans didn’t like him on the Tonight Show (I commonly heard he was not as funny as late night)
Ferguson would be an interesting choice. I don’t know how well any of them could beat Jay in the ratings.
February 21, 2011 at 12:28 pm, davefan said:
i dont know if anyone noticed it… but what dave and craig are doing is the future of late night tv. late night doesnt make a lot of money anymore. so they use less money and utilize their talent more. look at dave and jay, dave is funnier but jay does a lot of segments. the same can be said about craig and jimmy f. so i think dave and cbs is really confident about craig taking over because of pure talent.