‘Late Show’ Host Letterman Diagnosed with Shingles
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The eye infection that sidelined late-night television host David Letterman for most of this week was brought on by a case of shingles, a viral infection related to chickenpox, his doctor said on Thursday.
Actor Bruce Willis filled in as host of the CBS “Late Show” on Wednesday, while tennis legend John McEnroe and Regis Philbin from the morning show “Live! With Regis and Kelly” assumed guest-host duties for Thursday and Friday’s shows.
The “Late Show” was already scheduled to be on a production hiatus next week, but it was not immediately clear whether Letterman would be ready to return the week after next.
When “Late Show” producers first revealed Wednesday that Letterman would miss that day’s taping due to an eye infection, they had said repeats of earlier broadcasts would air Thursday and Friday. Letterman’s absence this week was his first since his recovery from open-heart surgery in early 2000, when he missed several weeks of shows.
Before then, Letterman, 55, had never missed an appearance in his more than 20 years of late-night television.
A statement issued by Letterman’s production company quoted the comedian’s physician, Dr. Louis Aronne, as saying, “Dave is on his way to a full recovery.”
Shingles is a viral infection of the nerve roots that typically results in pain and rash. It is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox and occurs as a result of reactivation, possibly through physical or emotional stress, of the virus in a person who has already had chickenpox.
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