NEW YORK (AP) — The streak is over for Ball State University alumnus David Letterman after 17 years.
Letterman did not receive an Emmy nomination for best variety, music or comedy series Thursday.
This is the first time Letterman's "Late Show" on CBS did not receive a nomination in the category since it began in 1993.
Anyone who questions whether the TV academy is letting moral judgments influence creative ones would have ammunition for their arguments in Letterman.
Letterman's eligibility period coincided with a well-publicized extortion attempt and Letterman's admission that he had relationships with some of his staff members.
"Saturday Night Live" and shows hosted by Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher all received nominations for best variety, music or comedy series.
Despite not being nominated in this category, Letterman and the "Late Show" did receive a combined three Emmy nominations.
The "Late Show" get nominated for outstanding technical direction, camerawork, video control for a series and outstanding directing for variety, music and comedy series. In addition, Letterman earned a nomination in the outstanding children's non-fiction program category for his role as an executive producer in a PBS show.
The other big surprise to come from best variety, music or comedy series category was O'Brien's show getting selected over Jay Leno.
O'Brien's short-lived reign at NBC's "Tonight" show earned him an Emmy nod. Leno, who returned to "Tonight" following the failure of his prime-time show.
NBC submitted both versions of "Tonight" for Emmys consideration, letting the TV academy decide what to include in the category.
"Congrats to my staff on 4 Emmy nominations," O'Brien said in a message posted on Twitter. "This bodes well for the future of the 'Tonight' show with Conan O'Brien."
It may bode well for his future: O'Brien gets back to television with a TBS late-night show this fall, and he has some critical wind at his back.
"Everybody understands what happened," said Don Mischer, executive producer of the Emmy Awards telecast, scheduled to air on NBC next month. "And it was an opportunity for Emmy voters to like give him some support, you know. And he deserved it."
NBC issued a statement congratulating O'Brien "and all of our nominees."
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