Seth Meyers claims this talk show host was actually his most difficult guest

Seth Meyers' affability is his greatest strength. The comedian doesn't get as political as Jimmy Kimmel, lean into viral sketches as much as Jimmy Fallon, but he has consistently proven to get entertaining interviews out of his guests.

Meyers has a knack for putting guests at ease, regardless of their area of expertise. Well, for the most part. During a 2023 interview with Paul Rudd, the Late Night veteran revealed that the only time he felt uncomfortable was when he brought on one of his comedy idols.

Meyers was nervous to interview David Letterman

David Letterman was the idol in question. He appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2022, and while he was by no means difficult, Meyers felt as though he psyched himself and conducted a less than stellar interview:

"The hardest one was when [David] Letterman was here... The thing he wants the least is for you to be like 'I’m a huge fan.' And so, it was just like, 'Just be normal.'"

Meyers' attempt be "normal" led to some regret in retrospect. He told Paul Rudd that he felt he should have been upfront with his Letterman fandom, and asked the latter the fanboy questions he'd always wanted to as a means of breaking the ice.

The host still considers Letterman a comedy hero

"You know, just be like 'I’m just gonna ask you, because I want to know and I don’t know how much longer this party is gonna go,'" he posited. "And that’s the most fun part." The nervousness makes sense on Meyers' part. David Letterman is considered by many to be one of the greatest talk show hosts of all time. He was also the first person to occupy the chair that Meyers currently sits in.

The awkward experience did nothing to deter Meyers' admiration, though. The host described David Letterman as a "man of great humility" when asked to reflect on the 40th anniversary of Late Night.