Former President Barack Obama will be David Letterman’s first guest when Letterman premieres his new Netflix talk show on January 12. This will be Obama’s first television talk show appearance since leaving office.
According to Netflix, Letterman’s show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman,” will last six episodes and include interviews with actor George Clooney, rapper Jay-Z, radio host Howard Stern, comedian Tina Fey, and Pakistani education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
Obama made eight appearances on Letterman’s former show, “The Late Show,” three of them after becoming president. On the last show, in May 2015, a mutual lovefest broke out, with Obama telling the host, “I was thinking, you and me we could play some dominoes together. We could go to the local Starbucks and swap stories,” adding later, “We’ve grown up with you.” He added, “After a tough day at the office or coming home from work, knowing that you’ve been there to give us a little bit of joy and a little bit of laughter, it has meant so much. You’re part of all of us. You’ve given us a great gift and we love you.”
Letterman, not to be outdone, complimented Obama’s “very funny” performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner, prompting Obama to brag, “I’m a pretty funny guy.” Letterman then offered the slow-pitch fast ball down the middle: “You have guys writing that stuff?”
Obama threw up his hands and acted horrified, asserting, “No. I came up with it all myself.”