Actually, behind the scenes Leno was the conniver during the Carson debacle. Letterman was fairly normal then. Leno’s agent was a monster who according to some, pushed Carson out earlier than he wanted to go. All of Carson’s writers went with Letterman. None of them stayed with Leno. To this day, I hear bad reports about Leno.
One thing that people don’t mention is how self-deprecating Letterman is. Even during his finale, there was more criticism and jokes about himself than anyone else.
And he’s always been that way.
I seem to recall that Carson also saw David Letterman as his successor - a kindred Midwesterner and spirit.
Interesting! Some people crave power more than others but I didn’t think that of Leno. And I actually miss Jonny Carson. He was a funny guy I just enjoyed watching.