"Do I send it back?" – John Mulaney recalls David Letterman mailing his dad an Emmy Award

In comedian John Mulaney’s most recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! he shared several insights on what’s been happening in his life since he was last on the show.

Mulaney opened up to Kimmel and talked about his 6-month-old daughter, his wedding to actress Olivia Munn, their two-year-old son Malcolm pooping during their vows, being married by Sam Waterston, and how Jimmy played a role in his and Nick Kroll’s loss on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

After a rundown of all these topics, and a mention for his new talk show Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney on Netflix, the comedian and family man brought up a funny anecdote involving his father and late-night comedy legend David Letterman.

When Mulaney appeared as a guest on Letterman’s vaunted My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, a confluence of events led to his dad getting an Emmy in the mail from Letterman. John for one was confused what to make of the gesture even contemplating,

"Do I send it back?"

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Mulaney’s Father’s Emmy courtesy of David Letterman explained

In talking with Kimmel, Mulaney revealed that his father Chip initially met David Letterman when he made a guest appearance on his son and Letterman's special, where he sat down with the two comedians to share his insights on fatherhood and family. Mulaney shared,

“My dad got to know Letterman that night. He hadn’t really watched his show ever, but he got to know him and they became fast friends."

The newly struck friendship was so genuine that Letterman decided to send Chip an ‘extra Emmy’ that was lying around his home last Friday for his contributions to Letterman’s award for Outstanding Hosted Non-Fiction Series or Special last year. It was attached with a note from Dave,

“Hello Chip, here’s hoping you and all are enjoying all one enjoys out there in Chicago. I found this extra Emmy in a closet and I told the kids, ‘Let’s give it to Chip.’ So, here you go. I hope you love it the way television people love it. And, it’s solid gold!”

In the time since, Chip has hilariously taken to giving John advice on Emmy care and decorum,

“My dad’s like, ‘It’s heavy. And you’ve gotta be careful of the wings because they’re fragile,’ I go, ‘Yeah, I have them myself.’”

It should also be noted however, that Chip initially attempted to defer from taking the gift, in part due to his classic Midwestern affability.

“He had this great Midwestern reaction to the greatest Midwesterner, David Letterman, ever. He was like, ‘Do I send it back and say no, no I couldn’t possibly?’ And I was like, ‘I think it’s a keep it type gift!’ We’re not gonna just ship this back and forth across the country.”

This heart-warming story certainly paints all parties in a positive light and brings even more truth to the well known adage: Dads will be Dads.