TV series · 1982ComedyTalk

Late Night with David Letterman

Name: Late Night with David Letterman
Released: 1982

3Based

AI Woke Score

Based

No detectable agenda — story first.

confidence: high

no votes yet

Audience Score

Be the first to vote.

The Verdict

A landmark 1980s late-night comedy talk show whose humor was rooted in irony, absurdism, and self-deprecation rather than any identity messaging. There is essentially nothing here for any of the WokeMeter axes to register. Completely clean.

What the AI Flagged

Each axis scored 0–100, with the receipts. The headline score weights the worst offense, so a single egregious element isn't diluted by the rest.

Identity Swaps

A 1980s late-night comedy talk show with no established characters to swap.

Girlboss & Male Demotion

No fictional narrative; a host-driven talk show with no gendered messaging.

LGBTQ+ / Trans / Non-Binary Content

No notable LGBTQ+ themes or content central to the show.

DEI Casting

Not a scripted production with casting concerns.

Preachiness

An ironic, absurdist comedy show built on mocking convention, not sermonizing.

Anti-Masculinity / Anti-West

No anti-masculinity or anti-West framing present.

Source Betrayal

Original program with no source material to betray.

Audience Reviews

Discussion

Details

Released: February 1, 1982
Type: TV series
Genres: Comedy, Talk

Synopsis

Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night with Conan O'Brien then filled the time slot. As of March 2, 2009, the slot has been filled by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It will be filled by Seth Meyers in the spring of 2014, after Fallon becomes host of The Tonight Show.

Embed the badge

Drop the live score on your site or post.

Late Night with David Letterman

Based · WokeMeter

<a href="https://getwokemeter.com/title/late-night-with-david-letterman-1982">
  <img src="https://getwokemeter.com/api/badge/late-night-with-david-letterman-1982"
       alt="Late Night with David Letterman WokeMeter score" width="220" height="90">
</a>

AI analysis

This score is generated by an AI model analyzing the work against a fixed rubric. It is critical opinion and commentary, not a statement of fact, and may be revised.

Analysis generated June 9, 2026

Disagree with the AI? Cast your vote above — the audience number exists to push back.