Breaking: David Letterman announces retirement, will leave CBS show in 2015
Just over a month after Jay Leno said farewell to “The Tonight Show” after so many years on the air, David Letterman stunned his audience at a taping for “The Late Show” on Thursday with a huge announcement of his own: He will be retiring at the end of his contract, which expires in 2015.
In the past, CBS has made it very clear that the show belongs to Dave for however long he wants to be a part of it, and during a taping of his show Thursday afternoon, he made the news of his eventual exit official by telling it to his audience (per Deadline):
“The man who owns this network, Leslie Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance. And I phoned him just before the program, and I said ‘Leslie, it’s been great, you’ve been great, and the network has been great, but I’m retiring.'”
There will obviously be plenty of conversation in the coming months about who could replace Dave, and we see there being a number of candidates coming out of the woodwork soon. Jon Stewart has been rumored to be up for the show in the past, Chelsea Handler may be leaving E!, and Craig Ferguson could be waiting in the wings as the host of “The Late Late Show.” It’s also possible that someone like Jerry Seinfeld or another popular comic could get a call from CBS in a year or so. They have plenty of time to make this search happen.
Moonves also had the following to say in a statement on losing Dave:
“When Dave decided on a one-year extension for his most recent contract, we knew this day was getting closer, but that doesn’t make the moment any less poignant for us. For 21 years, David Letterman has graced our Network’s air in late night with wit, gravitas and brilliance unique in the history of our medium. During that time, Dave has given television audiences thousands of hours of comedic entertainment, the sharpest interviews in late night, and brilliant moments of candor and perspective around national events. He’s also managed to keep many celebrities, politicians and executives on their toes – including me. There is only one David Letterman.”
We’ll miss Letterman when he does leave. Not only is he the best interview on late-night (especially among the major networks), but he has always been a little off-kilter in a way that Johnny Carson would have most-likely approved of.
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Photo: CBS