UPDATE: TV Guide Canada tells The Hollywood Reporter that it stands behind its reporting.
Paul Shaffer isn’t in such a hurry to leave Late Show With David Letterman after all.
David Letterman’s longtime sidekick and musical director on Monday set out to clarify remarks he made to TV Guide Canada over the weekend implying just that. The website quoted him as saying he might be ready to call it a day when his contract expires in two years.
PHOTOS: Outtakes from THR’s New York Issue Photo Shoots
“We’ve been on 30 years so now we’ve got another two years. … I’m going to be certainly ready to lie down after that, take a nap,” he said.
But Shaffer on Monday said that wasn’t how he intended his comment to come across.
“In an interview with a reporter, I made two unrelated points which, joined together, seem to say something that isn’t true,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. “It’s true that the show was recently extended for two years, and yes, someday when it’s all over, I will most likely take a nap. But I hope that day never comes. As long as the show goes on, I will be there for as long as Dave wants me on it.”
STORY: Obama Interview Drives ‘Late Show With David Letterman’ to 2-Year High
Shaffer has been with Letterman since the 1982 debut of Late Night With David Letterman on NBC, leading the World’s Most Dangerous Band. In 1993, he made the move with Letterman to CBS for Late Show, where he leads the CBS Orchestra, after NBC passed Letterman over for the Tonight Show hosting job in favor of Jay Leno.
Shaffer earns a reported $5 million for his Late Show gig.
