David Letterman Superfan Has Collected All But 2 of Host’s 6,028 Shows
Unofficial archivist Don Giller gets profiled by the New York Times
April 7, 2017
There are casual David Letterman fans, there are superfans, and then, a few miles down the road, there’s Don Giller.
Described in a recent New York Times profile as “the critical custodian of Mr. Letterman’s comedy,” Giller is the unofficial archivist of the retired host’s work. He reportedly owns copies of all but two of the 6,028 episodes Dave aired during his thirty-plus years on NBC’s “Late Night” and, later, CBS’s “Late Show.”
In addition to using his knowledge and archive to upload vintage Letterman clips to his popular YouTube channel, Giller has reportedly helped everyone from biographers to “Late Show” staff members themselves.
Started shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Giller’s massive video library includes everything from college marching band performances to old “Saturday Night Live” episodes, but his piece de resistance is the Letterman collection.
While Giller said he’s briefly met the focal point of his obsession a few times, he revealed he hopes to one day carry on a longer conversation with Letterman. “I’d like him to know what I did,” he told the Times. “The question is: Will he give a crap? I need to be prepared that he won’t and accept that.”
On Tuesday, Howard revealed that Letterman himself had stopped by the Stern Show studio after Monday’s show while visiting SiriusXM. Additionally, the “Late Show” legend made plans with Howard to sit down on the Stern Show sometime soon.
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