The Letterman Podcast 014 J Ryan

This episode of the Letterman Podcast is partially a tribute to Kathleen Ankers. Kathleen, while you are no longer with us in body, your spirit lives on, and if J and the rest of the Letterman Podcast Network community have anything to say about it, we will be discussing your work and the impact it made on us for many, many years to come. Thank you for all you did to be a major contributor to the Letterman and Company aesthetic and legacy, and for painting the pictures of many of our memories and visualizations pertaining to Late Night and Late Show with David Letterman.

J Ryan and his wife Nicole are the hosts of the internet show Cars and Comedy, which is shot on location in the Late Night Playset, the only Emmy winning set to be used in an internet show ever, which can be seen live at 5PM Tuesdays and Thursdays on YouTube, Instagram, and available afterwards on all the major podcast platforms as well. The Playset features David Letterman's original Late Show Desk, Guest Chairs, and the iconic microphone Dave used for years. J is also a major catalyst for the existence of The Letterman Podcast, and some would say he is famous and infamous within the David Letterman community for a variety of reasons, some of which we will get into on this episode. He and Mike decided to crossover even more by using the Late Night Playset production facilities to record this episode of The Letterman Podcast.

With decades of experience in television production, prop replication, (he was a major part in the re-creation of a Back to the Future Time Machine and an Ecto-1 both used in official productions) and many other aspects of media, J can trace his love of the genre, and the production of it to his youth when he hosted a talk show back in his high school days. As a teenager he was constantly drawing Dave's sets and noticing nuances and details of the productions prolifically. He made contact with Kathleen Ankers and had many conversations with her where she gave him insights of all sorts. J and Mike touch on some of those encounters, what they meant to J, and how it has led him to being an advocate and cheerleader for Kathleen even after she passed away over two decades ago.

The two hosts touch on many topics within the Letterman world, including J's reaction to a few of the recent episodes of The Letterman Podcast, especially the one featuring Daniel Kellison. This led to J talking about the dilemma he had when Jay Leno visited the Playset as a guest at the demand of his viewers and listeners. Mike and J go back and forth on that topic and many others, and they even open a package from none other than Rupert Jee of the Hello Deli on screen to celebrate the Deli's sponsorship of The Letterman Podcast.

As always, we ask that everyone Likes, Subscribes, Shares, and writes a positive comment about The Letterman Podcast, in whatever platform you consume the program in. Heck, if you want, do those things on all the other platforms too. We are so grateful for the support you all have shown us so far and are happy to proclaim that 'you ain't seen nothin yet!' #thanksdave #letterman #latenight #thelateshow #davidletterman #liveitwhileyagotit #gvbc #goodvibesbreakfastclub #thelettermanpodcast #Carsandcomedy #latenightplayset