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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube

Jimmy Fallon thanks and honors David Letterman, his late-night forefather

Kind words from someone who followed in his footsteps.

 

Michelle Jaworski

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Posted on May 19, 2015   Updated on May 28, 2021, 7:32 pm CDT

The heartfelt tributes to retiring Late Show host David Letterman keep on coming in—even from his direct competition.

Jimmy Kimmel won’t be airing a new episode on Wednesday night out of respect for Letterman’s farewell, while Jimmy Fallon spent a good chunk of time after his monologue Monday night honoring and thanking Letterman and his utter weirdness. Late-night TV would’ve been a completely different playground without Letterman in the thick of it.

After revealing that one of his teachers predicted that he’d replace Letterman on Late Night, Fallon told his audience the story of his last visit to The Late Show and how kind Letterman was to him.

“I think he taught us how to be, how to do smart and stupid for comedy,” Fallon said.

Screengrab via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube

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*First Published: May 19, 2015, 9:23 am CDT