Who hosted NBC’s Late Night when the program debuted in 1982?

David Letterman hosted NBC’s Late Night when the program debuted in 1982.

NBC created Late Night as a companion program for viewers following The Tonight Show. Letterman became its original host, bringing an intentionally unconventional style that mixed absurd comedy, unusual audience interactions, offbeat guests, and experimental production ideas.

The show premiered on February 1, 1982, and was broadcast from New York. Letterman hosted until 1993, when he left NBC for CBS after losing the opportunity to succeed Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Conan O’Brien then took over Late Night.

Letterman’s NBC program is sometimes confused with his later CBS series, The Late Show with David Letterman. Although both were late-night talk shows hosted by Letterman, they were separate programs on different networks. His NBC tenure is especially important because it influenced the alternative, self-aware style adopted by many later hosts.