What Happened To David Letterman?

The legendary David Letterman said goodbye to the world of late night television in 2015. After three decades on air, the host wrapped his most famous gig, "The Late Show with David Letterman," but not before a clever introduction by a surprising mix of presidents. The episode started started with a clip of the late President Gerald Ford addressing the country in 1974. "My Fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over," he said. George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush repeated the phrase before Barack Obama did the same, adding, "Letterman is retiring." The host then walked into the frame, quipping, "You're just kidding, right?" Unfortunately for Letterman's fans, he was in on the joke, and he followed through with his plan to leave.

In 2016, Letterman spoke with Tom Brokaw to give his fans a glimpse into the early days of his retirement. Despite becoming one of the richest late night hosts of all time, he didn't seem to regret leaving his beloved post. "It's interesting, I thought for sure I would," he said when asked about missing his job (via Today). "And then the first day of Stephen's show, when he went on the air, an energy left me and I felt like, 'You know, that's not my problem anymore.'" He was referring, of course, to Stephen Colbert, who took up his mantle. "I couldn't care less about late night television, I'm happy," Letterman added. He also explained his striking facial hair, which he didn't sport while hosting "The Late Show." "I always told myself, when the show goes away, I will stop shaving," he added, revealing he'd grown tired of the expectation.

David Letterman retired from his late night hosting duties, but a full-fledged retirement seems unlikely for him. "Retirement is a myth," he shared during a December 2024 interview with GQ. "Retirement is nonsense. You won't retire. The human mechanism will not allow you to retire." And while he also spoke on the joys of having more time to spend in Indiana where he grew up, he's carved out plenty of time to continue with his career. Since 2018, he's helmed Netflix's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction," where he's continued to interview big names like Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, and Tiffany Haddish.

In 2023, Letterman made history when he finally appeared on "The Late Show" hosted by successor Stephen Colbert after passing the baton nearly a decade earlier. "Stephen, control your people!" Letterman said in response to the raucous reaction he received from the crowd (via CBS News). "This is the most enthusiastic audience I have been near since the night I announced I was quitting." Also, despite his previous comments about not missing the late night scene, Letterman offered up a much fonder perspective when talking about their shared profession. "Very few things in life provide one the opportunity ... If you muck one up, you get to try again, and that's a pretty good device," he said about hosting. "That was great. That made it more and more fun. And then when you do something that you're really proud of, you think, 'My God, let's do that again.'"