Johnny Carson never gave David Letterman The Tonight Show. Then he spent his retirement writing jokes for him. When Carson retired in May 1992, NBC gave the show to Jay Leno. Letterman left for CBS. Years later, Carson was retired in California. A friend said that every morning he read the paper and could think of five jokes he wished he had an outlet for. So he found one. He started sending jokes to Letterman, who sometimes used them in his monologue. Carson died on January 23, 2005. The first Late Show after his death opened with a monologue made entirely of Carson’s jokes. Paris Hilton’s dog. John Kerry’s medals. Donald Trump’s hair. Letterman told the audience who wrote them only after he had finished. That same night he said: “I owe everything in my professional career, whatever success we’ve attained, to Johnny Carson.” Keep this part. Some people never say it to your face. They just keep sending you jokes. Watch the clip. A peace offering, or a quiet verdict on who should have gotten the job?