--- title: David Letterman Late Show Finale: Dave Works at Taco Bell description: The late-night host featured a blast from the past on his final show canonical: https://time.com/3892160/david-letterman-late-show-finale-taco-bell/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-21T12:28:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:08:03.910Z og:title: Watch David Letterman Work at Taco Bell og:description: The late-night host featured a blast from the past on his final show og:url: https://time.com/3892160/david-letterman-late-show-finale-taco-bell/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66ce6aea8688ca67/69885114428a9e2802ccd580/david-letterman3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: In this image released by CBS, David Letterman appears during a taping of his final "Late Show with David Letterman," on May 20, 2015 at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch David Letterman Work at Taco Bell twitter:description: The late-night host featured a blast from the past on his final show twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66ce6aea8688ca67/69885114428a9e2802ccd580/david-letterman3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch David Letterman Work at Taco Bell > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=4241394e-2131-46d5-8427-18f58f2ff68a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: David Letterman Says Farewell To The 'Late Show' [Watch (HLS stream): David Letterman Says Farewell To The 'Late Show'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AhHnEvXf.m3u8) (2:15)  _Published 2015-05-21. Wednesday night marked the end of an era in late-night television — David Letterman took the 'Late Night' stage for the very last time._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff May 21, 2015 12:28 PM UTC by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff May 21, 2015 12:28 PM UTC In his final episode of the _Late Show_ on Wednesday night, David Letterman featured a blast from the past. The clip below shows a much-younger Letterman take a stab at running a Taco Bell drive-thru, with hilarious results. None of the frustrated customers seemed to recognize Letterman’s voice, though one woman thought he sounded strangely familiar, asking, “Are you Howard Stern?” The clip was a bittersweet reminder of what we’ll be missing out on as Letterman brings his 33 year late-night career to a close. Watch it below. ### Photos: David Letterman’s Early Career  One of David Letterman's earliest roles before he made it as a television host was as a guest star on Mork & Mindy. CBS/Getty Images  Before he received his own show, Letterman was a regular guest host for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Above, he is seen interviewing Betty White. Paul Drinkwater—NBC/Getty Images  In 1980, Letterman finally got his own morning comedy show, The David Letterman Show. Above, he is seen interviewing Truman Capote. Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  After the cancellation of his morning show, Letterman was given a new show and time slot, Late Night With David Letterman which immediately followed The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The first version of the Late Night franchise, debuted on February 1, 1982 and would eventually be succeeded by Conan O’Brien, seen above. Al Levine—NBC/Getty Images  Letterman left NBC for CBS to start the Late Show with David Letterman when NBC gave the reigns of The Tonight Show to Jay Leno instead of him after Johnny Carson's retirement. The first show debuted on August 30, 1993, with Letterman's retirement announced for 2015. New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images ## Transcript Wednesday night marks the end of an era in late night television. David Letterman took the late night stage for the very last time. [ MUSIC ] Even though Dave has served as host of the Late Show for 33 years, He didn't even shed a tear during his very last taping, probably because his surprise guest were so lighthearted about his departure. Honestly, Dave, I've always found you to be a bit of an over- actor. [ LAUGH ] I'm just glad your show is being given to another white guy. And his fellow late night host were quick to show their respect during their own shows. I'm gonna let you know the exact moment when Dave's show is starting and I'd like you to switch over. We will not see a man of his talents and committed integrity again in our lifetime. I remember after 9 / 11 we needed somebody and this city was in shock and we're all looking for answers and we wanted to see what Dave had to say, and we looked for him to say something. The reason I have this show Is, is because Is because the executives at ABC saw me when I was a guest at Dave's show, and hired me to host this show so I want to thank Dave and his writers and. The audience member's present for Dave's final show said they definitely felt the historic gravity in the air. One fan told CNN shortly after taping wrapped. Seeing Dave, so many other giants of comedy, his favorite band, playing his favorite song, and clips from the past 30- plus years made me realize that I was experiencing something that I will never forget. After the show wrapped up Wednesday, Dave's staffers were expected to gather for one last wrap party. And after that, well, Dave hasn't said much about what his days in retirement will look like. Well I'll tell you something. I can't wait for it to happen because I am sick and tired of people saying, woah! What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do? I have no idea what I'm gonna do. But one thing's for sure. In the coming days, he and his producers have some moving to do. Former Comedy Central funny man, Steven Colbert, is set to take Dave's place as host of The Late Show on September 8th. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3892160/david-letterman-late-show-finale-taco-bell/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3892160/david-letterman-late-show-finale-taco-bell/"},"headline":"Watch David Letterman Work at Taco Bell","datePublished":"2015-05-21T12:28:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:08:03.910Z","description":"\"Are you Howard Stern?\"","url":"https://time.com/3892160/david-letterman-late-show-finale-taco-bell/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66ce6aea8688ca67/69885114428a9e2802ccd580/david-letterman3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66ce6aea8688ca67/69885114428a9e2802ccd580/david-letterman3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"In this image released by CBS, David Letterman appears during a taping of his final \"Late Show with David Letterman,\" on May 20, 2015 at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.","caption":"In this image released by CBS, David Letterman appears during a taping of his final \"Late Show with David Letterman,\" on May 20, 2015 at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.","creditText":"Jeffrey R. 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