--- description: See the very first late-night interview between the two comedians title: David Letterman's Final Guest Is Bill Murray image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c8a3d4c2a0872e1/6987efd8f887dc8211e8e7bb/bill-murray-david-letterman.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # David Letterman's Final Guest Is Bill Murray by [James Hibberd/EW](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd/EW Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 15, 2015 2:41 PM CUT  Bill Murray with host David Letterman on Late Night with David Letterman on May 31, 1984. Bill Murray with host David Letterman on Late Night with David Letterman on May 31, 1984.R. M. Lewis Jr.—NBC/Getty Images) by [James Hibberd/EW](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd/EW Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 15, 2015 2:41 PM CUT _Watch the full interview below_ David Letterman’s final guest will be the same as his first. The CBS _Late Night_ host has picked Bill Murray to be his last announced interview guest. Murray has been on Letterman’s show [43 times](http://mentalfloss.com/article/54997/11-bill-murrays-greatest-letterman-appearances "undefined") over the last 33 years. During his first visit to Letterman (then on NBC) in 1982, the _Lost in Translation_ actor memorably declared to Dave: “You got out of Indianapolis and didn’t look back. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to fall on you, man, and I want to be there when it hits the floor! I had a chance to strangle Richard Nixon and I didn’t—and I regret it!” Other guests during Letterman’s final week include actor Tom Hanks and singer Eddie Vedder. Murray will appear on Letterman’s second-to-last episode. Letterman’s final show is May 20, which CBS says “which will be an hour filled with surprises \[and\] memorable highlights.” Here’s Murray’s very first late-night interview with Dave: Letterman also will be answering questions instead of asking them on _CBS Sunday Morning_ (Sunday, 9 a.m.), when he sits down with Jane Pauley in what’s billed as his only TV interview before exiting _The Late Show._ ### Bill Murray is Dave’s first guest (1982) For Letterman, Murray has dressed like Liberace, a Kentucky Derby jockey and a Renaissance fop. His first visit set the tone of the show when, after a long rant in which Murray decried the host’s “mind games,” Letterman responded, “Now that you’re well-known, is it harder to be funny?” ### Andy Kaufman challenges wrestler Jerry Lawler to a match (1982) In a hoax bit, comedian Kaufman got pro wrestler Lawler to slap him in the face as Letterman smirked behind the desk. The stunt confirmed Dave’s status as a comedy chaos magnet—a master at remaining calm while hysteria swirled around him. ### Dave gets dunked in a suit made of 3,400 Alka-Seltzers (1984) What some do for science, Dave did for comedy. With a snorkel and goggles in place, Dave was dunked into a fizzy experiment in laughter. He’s helpless in his harness, floating in an effervescent water tank surrounded by the volcanic chaos of bubbles. The experiment was duplicated with the likes of sponges, marshmallows and velcro, showing how far Dave would go for a laugh. ### The very first top 10 list (1985) “Heats.” “Rice.” “Moss.” These were the initial entries in the show’s first Top 10 list, “Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas.” Sometimes presented by politicians, celebrities, sports champions and everyday heroes, the lists—more than 4,600 of them—became Letterman’s signature bit. ### Cher calls Dave an a–hole (1986) Dave’s meta-deconstruction of the late night form led to uncomfortable truths — such as in this segment, where an interview with Cher centered on why it took four years for her to agree to appear on the show. Her casual reasoning — “because I thought you were an a–hole” — became part of the show’s disarming folklore. ### Madonna won’t stop stop cursing (March 31, 1994) Letterman often had a flirty effect on female guests, causing many to leave filters at the door. Here, Madonna and Dave giggled and teased, discussing their underwear and making innuendos. Madonna sweetly told Dave he was a “sick f-ck.” Never has that term sounded quite so loving. ### Drew Barrymore flashes Dave for his birthday (April 12, 1995)  NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Drew Barrymore turns to the audience after flashing host David Letterman during the April 12, 1995 taping of the Late Show with David Letterman in New York City. This show was taped on Dave's Birthday. This photo is provided by CBS from the Late Show with David Letterman photo archive. (Photo by Alan Singer/CBS via Getty Images) Alan Singer—CBS/Getty Images In a ’90s version of Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” a 20-year-old, braless Barrymore surprised Dave with a dirty dance on his desk, followed by lifting her shirt. Dave’s reaction—confused but joyful surprise—contributed to the buzz. ### Dave gets personal (2000 & 2009) It’s one thing to be a great host with a knack for comedic moments. It’s another entirely to tap into the national psyche. Dave was long regarded as the king of irony, but that died in 2000, when he dropped all comedic facades to pay tribute to the surgical team that saved his life. It was a rare but powerful moment when Dave the host became Dave the man—a feeling that would be replicated as his messy personal cheating scandal went public nine years later—and his brittle realness drew us even closer to the legend we thought we knew. ### Dave gives a heartfelt post-9/11 monologue (2001) The first late-night host to return to TV, Letterman gave viewers real catharsis following a national tragedy. His eight-minute introduction was halting, honest and vulnerable, tapping into our collective fear and sadness. By the end, he also provided what we needed most: courage and hope. ### Joaquin Phoenix is bizarre and rambling (Feb 2009) Phoenix devised a meta-hoax that found him growing a long beard and claiming to have left acting for hip-hop. Included in this, for reasons not quite clear, was appearing on Letterman like he had no idea what was happening around him. Letterman fired questions at Phoenix despite the guest’s inability to string together a sentence. Ending the interview with, “Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight,” cemented the segment as a classic. _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/14/bill-murray-david-letterman-final-guest "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com/ "undefined")_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3860153/david-letterman-bill-murray/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3860153/david-letterman-bill-murray/"},"headline":"David Letterman's Final Guest Is Bill Murray","datePublished":"2015-05-15T14:41:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:57.536Z","description":"See the very first late-night interview between the two comedians","url":"https://time.com/3860153/david-letterman-bill-murray/","keywords":["Television","David Letterman","Bill Murray"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c8a3d4c2a0872e1/6987efd8f887dc8211e8e7bb/bill-murray-david-letterman.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Hibberd/EW"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c8a3d4c2a0872e1/6987efd8f887dc8211e8e7bb/bill-murray-david-letterman.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bill Murray with host David Letterman on Late Night with David Letterman on May 31, 1984.","caption":"Bill Murray with host David Letterman on Late Night with David Letterman on May 31, 1984.","creditText":"R. 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