NEW YORK– The longtime host of “The Late Show with David Letterman” found himself answering questions instead of asking them when a federal judge in New York City put the entertainer through an audition of sorts on Monday for a possible role as a juror in a criminal trial.
It was the serious setting of a criminal trial for cryptocurrency fraud when Judge P. Kevin Castel confronted the famous bearded comedian, identified in court only as “Juror 16,” with questions, just as he did three dozen other potential jurors to determine who would do that. be part of a panel of twelve jury members and four alternates.
The prospective jurors had already survived a general round of questioning in which individuals are dismissed due to hardships such as medical problems or jobs from which they cannot be spared. The trial is expected to last less than two weeks.
When Letterman, who quit his show in 2015, reached the final round for admission to the jury, the judge threw a softball: “Where do you live?”
“Hartford,” Letterman replied, proving he couldn’t say a single word without making a joke.
“No, it’s a joke,” Letterman quickly informed the judge. Hartford is in Connecticut, which would have excluded him from the jury because it is outside the area where the jurors come from.
“Nice try,” the judge responded, adding, “You thought you were going to leave out Queens,” another location outside the area covered by the Southern District of New York. Queens is located in the Eastern District of New York.
After Letterman revealed his true home area — Westchester County — the pair began a series of questions and answers, totaling nearly three dozen exchanges.
Along the way, the judge, lawyers and three dozen potential jurors learned much that the world already knows about Letterman. He was born in Indianapolis, graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and has a 20-year-old son in college in Massachusetts.
When asked what he does for a living, Letterman said he currently “works for a company called Netflix.”
“Husband or partner?” Gastel asked.
“I’ve had both. Right now I only have the husband,” Letterman replied.
When asked how he gets his news, Letterman nodded to the past and said, “Every morning I picked up the newspaper from the porch. Now I turn on the computer and it’s a collection of news sources from all over the United States and around the world.
When asked what he likes to watch besides the Netflix shows he’s involved with, Letterman replied, “I like sports.”
“I’m happy that football is here. I’m glad it’s baseball season this time. I love motorsports. I pretty much like what most Americans watch on TV,” he said.
The judge asked him if he is an Indianapolis Colts football fan.
“Huge Colts fan. 0 and 2, but still a fan,” he said, referring to the fact that the Colts have lost their first two games this season.
As for hobbies, Letterman said he enjoys fishing, skiing and being outdoors.
“Ever called to serve as a juror?” the judge asked.
“Already called many times. I just couldn’t make it happen,” Letterman responded.
“You know, this could be the charm,” Castel said, aware that Letterman had a 50-50 chance of making the panel.
“It would be my pleasure,” Letterman said.
Ultimately, shortly before the jury was sworn in, Letterman was ejected when a prosecutor called a so-called “strike,” allowing attorneys on both sides to release a certain number of potential jurors from the panel for any reason. . It was the third of four strikes by prosecutors. No reason was given.
