“My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over,” Presidents Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all said in a joint video statement. “Letterman is retiring,” Obama elaborated for the final Late Show With David Letterman’s cold open.
After 33 years, 6,028 shows, 16 Emmy awards and the title of longest-running late night host, David Letterman retired. Letterman joked in his opening monologue that after all this time: “Stephen Hawking did the math, and it equated to eight minutes of laughter.”
As Letterman walked to the front of the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City to begin the broadcast, wave after wave of chants for Letterman continued past Letterman’s point of comfort, as he told the crowd, “Please be seated. I don’t know what to do.”
The final show served as a retrospective highlight show, combining clips from Late Night on NBC (where Letterman began hosting in 1982), as well as clips from the last 22 years he has spent on The Late Show. There was also a day in the life of The Late Show, and of course, there was a “Top Ten List” featuring A-list celebrities including Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Barbara Walters, saying the “Things I’ve always wanted to say to Dave.”
At number five, Chris Rock said, “I’m just glad your show is being given to another white guy.”
Julia Louis Dreyfus included, “Thanks for letting me take part in another hugely disappointing series finale,” just inches away from Jerry Seinfeld who cast a sideways glance back at her, alluding to the widely disliked finale of Seinfeld.
Other late night talk show hosts paid their respects to Letterman either before or during their shows, proving the lasting impact he has made across the late night comedy world. Jimmy Kimmel, a direct competitor to Letterman, decided not to broadcast a new show, and also held back tears while speaking about the importance David Letterman has had in his life.
“I have too much respect for Dave to do anything that would distract viewers from watching his final show,” Kimmel told The New York Times. “Plus, I’ll probably be crying all day which makes it hard to work.”
Conan O’Brien also pleaded for his “seven viewers” to change the channel once the Late Show began, cutting into guest Patton Oswalt’s interview time. O’Brien begged viewers to “record us, but turn on Dave.”
At the top of his monologue, O’Brien delivered a touching speech about how Letterman saved his career 22 years ago and said, “(Letterman) has been the North Star for me, and for every comedian of my generation.”
To close the broadcast, Letterman thanked his entire crew, his family, all of the fans who watch the show and everyone involved in the process of creating it before introducing his favorite band, Foo Fighters, for the final performance on the Late Show. Foo Fighters played “Everlong,” the same song the band played for Letterman’s first show back after open heart surgery in 1998. As the band played, a quick montage of photos and videos of all the crazy stunts, in-studio explosions and stupid pet tricks rapidly flashed by, proving that time flies, even if that time is 33 long years.
For perspective, the 6,038 shows Letterman hosted equates to 17.3 years in total days he has hosted late night television. The average age for a student entering college is approximately 18 years old, meaning Letterman has nearly as many shows as incoming college freshman are days old.
The montage ended with a simple freeze frame of Letterman waving at the crowd as Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra played out the end of the show.
The man who popularized the “Top 10” list will surely be ranked near the top of every list of greatest late night talk show hosts of all time. Stephen Colbert will take over the Late Show in September, but until then, there will be an irreplaceable void left in the world of light night television.
“Do me a favor,” Letterman quipped in the final goodbye sequence, “save me a little for my funeral.”
Follow Craig Wright on Twitter @wgwcraig