--- title: David Letterman Says Farewell To The 'Late Show' | TIME description: Wednesday night marked the end of an era in late-night television — David Letterman took the 'Late Night' stage for the very last time. canonical: https://time.com/video/AhHnEvXf/ og:title: David Letterman Says Farewell To The 'Late Show' og:description: Wednesday night marked the end of an era in late-night television — David Letterman took the 'Late Night' stage for the very last time. og:url: https://time.com/video/AhHnEvXf/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/AhHnEvXf/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: David Letterman Says Farewell To The 'Late Show' twitter:description: Wednesday night marked the end of an era in late-night television — David Letterman took the 'Late Night' stage for the very last time. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/AhHnEvXf/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # David Letterman Says Farewell To The 'Late Show' > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## 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._ --- Jul 27, 2023 6:17 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Late-Night Highlight: Bill Murray Takes The Cake For Best David Letterman Farewell](/video/xXZsDWb1/) ### Late-Night Highlight: Bill Murray Takes The Cake For Best David Letterman Farewell [Will Smith Raps For The Late Show Audience - David Letterman](/video/STRkQfd7/) ### Will Smith Raps For The Late Show Audience - David Letterman [Late-Night Highlight: Why David Letterman Can’t Wait To Retire](/video/k89qi5cY/) ### Late-Night Highlight: Why David Letterman Can’t Wait To Retire --- ## 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":"VideoObject","name":"David Letterman Says Farewell To The 'Late Show'","description":"Wednesday night marked the end of an era in late-night television — David Letterman took the 'Late Night' stage for the very last time.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/AhHnEvXf/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-05-21T05:16:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AhHnEvXf.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/AhHnEvXf/","duration":"PT2M15S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/AhHnEvXf/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```