“Juror 16,” aka comedian David Letterman, has missed the J-time once again, rejected with no explanation by a prosecutor in a federal criminal trial.
Judge P. Kevin Castel grilled the former late-night talk show host in Manhattan federal court on Monday to see if he were suitable. Letterman, who helmed “The Late Show With David Letterman” from 1993 to 2015, was “auditioning” to serve on the jury for a cryptocurrency fraud case.
Letterman first pretended to live in Hartford when asked, which would have disqualified him if it were true.
Barry Williams for New York Daily News
David Letterman reports to jury duty at Manhattan Federal court Tuesday. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)
“Nice try,” Castel said, pointing out that Letterman had snubbed Queens, another jurisdiction that would have put him out of the running.
Letterman also deadpanned that he earned his living “working for a company called Netflix,” referring to his talk show on the streamer, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.”
When asked if this were the first time he’d been called as a juror, Letterman replied, “Been called many times. Just couldn’t make it happen.”
One of those times was in 2000, when he vied for a spot as the last alternate needed to complete the jury in a car-accident case in Superior Court in Connecticut. He didn’t make the cut then either, though mainly because the alternate was picked before his turn for questioning came.
Either way, attorneys then were dubious of his celebrity influence.
“You want people paying attention to the witnesses, not a fellow juror,” said attorney Philip French. “You don’t take a distraction like that and throw it into the case.”
In New York City on Monday, Letterman greeted passersby as he sauntered down the street on his way to court.
“I was taking the dog out for a lunchtime walk and walking back to the office and I saw him approaching. ‘Like why do I know this person?’” dog walker Jim Kontnier told AM New York. “And as he got closer, I realized it was David Letterman.”
With News Wire Services
