Rick Ludwin honored by Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers
By Matt Moore
Comedians, actors, and late night hosts mourned the loss of former NBC executive Rick Ludwin.
Former NBC Television vice president and executive Rick Ludwin passed away on Nov. 10 at the age of 71. Ludwin had an incredible impact on the entire medium of television and especially late night. Comedians and actors paid their respects to Ludwin and his legacy.
Ludwin joined NBC in 1980. He is known for backing Seinfeld when few other NBC executives were interested in the now iconic sitcom. Ludwin advanced to vice president of late night and special programming. It was in this role that Ludwin oversaw The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Saturday Night Live.
Ludwin left the late night division in 2011 and left the NBC network in 2012. He is credited with helping NBC through the Tonight Show debacle involving Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon.
Late night hosts Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers took time during their shows on Monday night to pay tribute To Ludwin. O’Brien was especially emotional as he recalled how Ludwin championed Late Night with Conan O’Brien during the show’s early days.
O’Brien also mentioned that Ludwin supported him during the mishandling of the Tonight Show situation. It is clear that Ludwin was one of the more supportive and loyal people in the television industry and helped developed countless talented careers.
On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Fallon looked at Ludwin’s long storied career in terms of the many names and shows he worked alongside during his NBC tenure. Hearing the legendary comedians named one after another demonstrates how impressive Ludwin’s career was in television.
Fallon’s history with Ludwin dates back to the comedian’s run on Saturday Night Live. Here, he thanks Ludwin for his encouragement during the start of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and boasts about Ludwin’s encyclopedic knowledge of late night comedy and television.
Like Fallon, Seth Meyers met Rick Ludwin through Saturday Night Live. Monday’s episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers featured a segment dedicated to memorializing Ludwin and his contributions to late night.
Meyers shares a touching story about how even after retiring, Ludwin would reach out to Saturday Night Live writers. You can tell from Meyers’ tone how important and significant it was to receive a hand-written approval from Ludwin over a SNL sketch.
Comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney also shared his thoughts on Ludwin’s passing. It was further proof that Ludwin had a hand in so many iconic franchises in television history.
Rick Ludwin died. He was the head of NBC’s Late Night division for many years. He was kind and thoughtful in an arena where that can be rare. From the day I began at SNL he would email me any time he liked a sketch I had worked on. He loved television. LOVED it.
— John Mulaney (@mulaney) November 11, 2019
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It is worth noting that all three hosts made reference to Rick Ludwin saving Seinfeld. It will no doubt be an enduring aspect of Ludwin’s legacy and his vision for the show not only changed NBC but comedy, television, and even late night.