Dick Van Dyke said that enjoying his work was central to his career: “If I’m not enjoying myself, I’m really bad,” he told CBS News. A separate version of the “would have stopped” sentiment was attributed to an interview with Deadline by Fox News; it is not the wording in CBS’s transcript.
What Dick Van Dyke said about enjoying his work
In a December 2023 interview with CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith, Van Dyke described enjoyment as essential to his working life: “My whole career has depended on that. If I’m not enjoying myself, I’m really bad, I am. It’s such a blessing to find a way of making a living that you love, that you’d do for nothing. I feel so sorry for people who hate their job. I look forward to going to work every morning!” CBS News published the interview on December 17, 2023.
That directly supports the idea behind the headline: Van Dyke said he believed enjoyment mattered to his career and that he looked forward to work. But the headline wording “Would Have Stopped” is a paraphrase, not a sentence in the CBS transcript. Fox News attributed a similar line to a Deadline interview: “If it had felt like work, I probably would have stopped it a long time ago, but I just loved it.” Fox’s May 31, 2024 report identifies Deadline as the source of that wording.
Enjoyment was his explanation, not a universal formula
Van Dyke’s remarks are a personal reflection, not evidence that enjoyment alone accounts for a long career. In the CBS interview, he also described his path as unplanned: he was not aggressive about pursuing work and often waited for the phone to ring. Fox’s account of the Deadline interview recounts early radio announcing, unsuccessful attempts at television hosting, and his eventual role in Bye Bye Birdie. His experience spans stage, television and film, but the available accounts do not establish a single cause for his longevity.
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He was still working and setting goals in his late 90s
CBS described Van Dyke as 98 at the time of its 2023 interview. He was still singing with The Vantastix and spoke about receiving letters from children who watched his films. His screen credits include The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dick Tracy, Night at the Museum, Mary Poppins Returns and Diagnosis: Murder.
In May 2024, Fox reported that he wanted to do a one-man show. That was an expressed ambition, not confirmation that a production had been announced. Later that year, the Associated Press reported that Van Dyke won the Daytime Emmy for guest performer in a daytime drama series for his role on Days of Our Lives. At 98, he was the oldest Daytime Emmy winner at the time of the award, according to the AP’s June 8, 2024 report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the distinction between the quotes matters
The CBS transcript is the clearest source for Van Dyke’s statement that he looked forward to going to work. The sharper “If it had felt like work…” line belongs to Fox’s report of his Deadline interview. Both convey a similar sentiment, but they should not be presented as one verbatim quote or attributed to the same interview.
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