Fans Mistake David Letterman for Actor Turning 100 This Week
David Letterman is laughing off a case of mistaken identity after a fan pegged him as Dick Van Dyke — who turns 100 this week. At 78, Letterman says the 21-year age gap makes the mix-up all the more absurd.
David Letterman is at the stage of fame where strangers know they know him, but not from where. He told a great example of that on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and yes, it involves Dick Van Dyke. Stay with me.
The mix-up that broke his brain (a little)
Letterman said he gets recognized less these days, which makes sense when your talk show wrapped back in 2015. He is 78 now, and as he told Kimmel, he sometimes feels like he needs a name tag just to get the conversation going.
Case in point: at a farmer's market, a guy approached him with the classic celebrity icebreaker, and Letterman decided to have fun with it.
"Are you who I think you are?"
"Well, that depends on who you think I am."
The man guessed: Dick Van Dyke. Letterman was... stunned. For context: Van Dyke turns 100 on December 13, 2025. That is a 21-year spread. Letterman took it in good humor, but you could hear the internal record scratch.
Fame ages weirdly
Letterman also talked about how fan reactions have evolved since he left The Late Show. Right after he signed off, it was the very sweet "We miss you." Then it shifted to "My mother watches you every night." Lately, it has escalated to variations of "Can I get a picture for my grandfather, and his father too? We used to watch you together in the hospital." That is a lot of generations for one selfie.
What he is actually up to
In case you have lost track since 2015, Letterman did not retire-forever. He came back with the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, and a new season drops December 16 with the usual big-name guests. So yes, he is still very much out there—just maybe not where that farmer's market guy was looking.