On May 20, 2015, David Letterman walked out onto the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater for the 6,028th time. He didn't look like a guy ready for a nap. He looked like the same gap-toothed, cynical, brilliant kid from Indiana who had been annoying network executives since the Reagan administration. The last show for David Letterman wasn't just a TV finale. It was the end of an era for a specific kind of subversive comedy that we probably won't ever see again in late night.
Honestly, it’s kinda wild to think about how much the landscape changed the moment he signed off.
The Night the National Nightmare Ended
The show kicked off with a pre-taped segment featuring four U.S. Presidents—George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama—alongside archival footage of Gerald Ford. They all repeated the same line: "Our long national nightmare is over."
Self-deprecation was always Dave's brand.
When he finally took the stage, the standing ovation lasted forever. People weren't just clapping for the show; they were clapping for the 33 years of weirdness he’d dragged into their living rooms. Dave being Dave, he tried to shut it down almost immediately. "Please be seated," he told the crowd. "I don't know what to do." He joked that according to his calculations, his 22 years on CBS and 11 years on NBC had resulted in exactly eight minutes of actual laughter.
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What Really Happened with the Final Top Ten List
You can't talk about the last show for David Letterman without mentioning the star wattage in that room. The final Top Ten List—"Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say to Dave"—was a heavy-hitter parade.
We saw Alec Baldwin, Barbara Walters, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Peyton Manning, Tina Fey, and the legendary Bill Murray.
It wasn't just a list of jokes; it was a reunion of people whose careers Dave had essentially built or sustained. Julia Louis-Dreyfus got the biggest laugh of the night when she looked Dave in the eye and thanked him for letting her participate in "another disappointing series finale." Seinfeld’s face in the background of that shot was priceless.
- Jerry Seinfeld: "I have no idea what I'll do when you go off the air. You know what, I just thought of something: I'll be fine."
- Chris Rock: "I'm just glad your show is being given to another white guy."
- Peyton Manning: "Dave, you are to comedy what I am to comedy."
The pacing was perfect. It felt like a party where everyone was making fun of the guest of honor, which is exactly how Dave liked it.
Behind the Scenes: The Foo Fighters and the Montage
The emotional peak of the night came during the final segments. Letterman has a well-documented history with the Foo Fighters. When Dave had open-heart surgery back in 2000, the band canceled a tour in South America just to play "Everlong" for his first show back.
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They did it again for his last show.
But it wasn't just a performance. It was a massive, fast-paced montage of the show's 33-year history synced perfectly to the music. The editors had been working on this for months. They had to time every drum beat to clips of Dave throwing watermelons off roofs, Chris Elliott’s "Pan Guy," and the famous Taco Bell drive-thru bit from 1996.
Actually, that Taco Bell segment might be the funniest thing ever aired on television. Dave harassing customers through a headset while wearing a hairnet is the peak of his particular brand of "found" comedy.
The Man Behind the Desk
In the final half-hour, the snark took a backseat. Dave introduced his wife, Regina, and his son, Harry, who were sitting in the audience. Seeing Harry—who was just a kid then—sitting in that theater really drove home how long Dave had been doing this.
He thanked his staff. He thanked Biff Henderson, the stage manager who had been with him for 35 years. He thanked Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.
"The only thing I have left to do, for the last time on a television program: thank you and goodnight."
That was it. Simple. No big crying jag. No 20-minute speech. Just a pro doing his job until the red light went out.
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Why We Still Care About the Last Show for David Letterman
The ratings were huge. About 13.76 million people tuned in. To put that in perspective, that was the highest viewership for the Late Show since 1994, right after the Lillehammer Olympics.
But it's not about the numbers. It's about the influence. Without Dave, you don't have Conan O'Brien. You don't have the "Late Night" version of Jimmy Fallon. You certainly don't have the experimental stuff that pops up on streaming now. Letterman was the one who proved that you could be smart, mean, and incredibly silly all at the same time.
Insights for the True Fan
If you're looking to revisit this era, don't just watch the final episode. Go back and look for these specific moments that defined the lead-up to the last show for David Letterman:
- The Norm Macdonald Tribute: In one of the final weeks, Norm Macdonald did a stand-up set and then broke down in tears telling Dave he loved him. It was a rare moment of raw emotion from two very guarded men.
- The Bill Murray Exit: Bill Murray was the first guest on both the NBC and CBS shows. For the final week, he jumped out of a giant cake and got frosting all over the audience.
- The YouTube Archive: The Letterman YouTube channel has done a fantastic job of digitizing old bits. If you want to see why he was the king, watch the "Stupid Pet Tricks" or any segment where he leaves the studio to bother people on the street.
Taking Action: How to Experience the Legacy
The best way to appreciate the last show for David Letterman today isn't through nostalgia, but through seeing his continued evolution.
- Watch "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction": This is the "Bearded Dave" era. He’s softer, more inquisitive, and deeply interested in the human condition. It’s a complete 180 from his late-night persona.
- Study the Interviews: Look at how he handles difficult guests like Joaquin Phoenix or Harvey Pekar. He was a master of the "uncomfortable silence," a tool almost no modern host uses because they’re too worried about being liked.
- Find the Musical Performances: Letterman gave a platform to bands that no one else would touch. From Warren Zevon's final appearance to the first time Future Islands went viral, the musical legacy of the Ed Sullivan Theater is unmatched.
The finale was a celebration of a guy who didn't really want to be celebrated. That's what made it the perfect goodbye. He gave us the Foo Fighters, a few jokes about his own ego, and then he went home to his family. It was the most "Dave" thing he could have done.