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Topics: Celebrity Net Worth, David Letterman
Mia Williams
David Letterman, 75, is one of the biggest names in television. Letterman was a late night talk show host for 33 years, beginning in 1982, he hosted Late Night with David Letterman on NBC until 1993 and The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS from 1993 until Stephen Colbert succeeded him in 2015.
Known for his deadpan humour, Letterman’s style is often contrasted with the more affable approach of current talk show hosts such as James Corden or Jimmy Fallon.
In 2018 he started My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman on Netflix. This series has included interviews with President Obama, Kanye West and, recently, Will Smith.
The interview with Smith has attracted significant media attention; it was released on 20th May but was conducted before his infamous ‘Oscars slap’. Viewers have spotted hints which foreshadow the shocking events we saw at the 94th Academy awards. Smith bemoaned the fact that ‘You can’t protect your family, that’s not real’ and said to Letterman ‘Don't say nothing about my mother, Dave’.
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With Letterman once again in the spotlight, many are wondering how much this giant of media is worth after forty years at the top of American television.
Letterman reportedly earned $7 million per year whilst on Late Night with David Letterman, his salary doubled to $14 million when he moved to The Late Show with David Letterman.
These major salaries have facilitated his hugely profitable real estate portfolio which includes a 108-acre estate in Westchester County, New York, as well as a ranch in Montana, a place on Martha's Vineyard and a home in St. Barth's.
His extreme wealth and high profile made Letterman the target of a plot to kidnap his son and demand a $5 million ransom. The culprit, a painter who had worked in Letterman’s house, was charged by the police before he could commit the act.
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According to celebritynetworth.com Letterman is worth a staggering $400 million, that’s what fifty Emmy nominations and five wins can buy you.