All it took was one night with Lady Gaga to drive David Letterman away. We kid, but the day after Gaga sang for the first time on The Late Show, Letterman announced his retirement as a talk show host. The comedian told his studio audience at today’s taping of his decision, with REM bassist Mike Mills Tweeting the news and various outlets subsequently confirming that Letterman will recite his final Top 10 List some time next year. David Letterman Retirement Announcement Letterman got his big break by performing stand-up many times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was then given NBC’s Late Night in 1982. In 1993, Letterman moved to CBS and became the host of The Late Show. His contract is set to expire in 2015 and he said at this afternoon’s taping that he’ll step away “sometime in the not too distant future.” That’s when “Paul and I will be wrapping things up.” In February, of course, Jay Leno stepped down from The Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon has been killing it in the ratings ever since. Expect speculation to soon begin over who will take over for Letterman, but let’s stop before that gets out of control and admire one of the funniest men to ever grace a television screen. We’ll miss you, Dave. 29 Unforgettable Moments in David Letterman History Open Slideshow 1. Charlie Sheen Talks Cocaine on The Late Show Charlie Sheen appears here on The Late Show with David Letterman… and talks in depth about crack cocaine. View As List 1. Charlie Sheen Talks Cocaine on The Late Show Charlie Sheen appears here on The Late Show with David Letterman… and talks in depth about crack cocaine. 2. Fired Anchor on Letterman A.J. Clemente appears here on The Late Show with David Letterman. Watch the host try to get the fired anchor his job back. 3. Ryan Lochte on Letterman Ryan Lochte on The Late Show With David Letterman. It’s pretty great. 4. Lindsay Lohan on Letterman Lindsay Lohan on The Late Show with David Letterman, April 9, 2013. 5. David Letterman Reacts to Tonight Show Shake-Up David Letterman has a lot to say about Jay Leno being replaced by Jimmy Fallon. A lot of funny stuff, that is. 6. Shia LaBeouf Late Show Interview Shia LaBeouf appears here on The Late Show with David Letterman and opens up about his feud with Alec Baldwin. 7. Chris Christie on Letterman Chris Christie stopped by the Late Show with David Letterman, and fat jokes about the New Jersey Governor took center stage. 8. Kim Kardashian on The Late Show – Kris Humphries Update Kim Kardashian talks about her divorce from Kris Humphries on The Late Show with David Letterman. 9. Jennifer Lawrence on The Late Show – LIES! Jennifer Lawrence reveals her secret to making it in Hollywood. Lies. Lots and lots of lies. 10. Kathy Griffin on The Late Show Is Kathy Griffin sorry for simulating Anderson Cooper on New Year’s Eve? She responds to that question here. 11. David Letterman Sandy Hook Statement David Letterman speaks on the Sandy Hook, Conn., shooting that occurred Friday for nearly seven minutes. He struck a somber note. 12. David Letterman Predicts Romney Defeat David Letterman says Mitt Romney will lose, and all because of the Late Show snub. 13. President Obama on Letterman On the Late Show with David Letterman September 18, 2012, President Barack Obama discusses the comments made by Mitt Romney in a recently released video. 14. Justin Bieber: What’s the Sistine Chapel? Justin Bieber appears here on The Late Show, and gets mocked by the host! Over what? Watch now and see what we mean. 15. Michelle Obama Top 10 List A preview of First Lady Michelle Obama as she presents the “Top Ten Fun Facts About Gardening” on The Late Show With David Letterman. 16. Kate Upton on Letterman Kate Upton pays a visit to the Late Show With David Letterman. The Sports Illustrated model seems like a really nice girl … and young. 17. Mitt Romney on Letterman: Top 10 List Mitt Romney delivers the Top 10 List on the Late Show with David Letterman. Watch him on the program in February 2011. 18. Bill Maher on Letterman Bill Maher reminisces about his smackdown with Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View in this conversation with David Letterman. He does not hold back. 19. Robert Pattinson on The Late Show Robert Pattinson chats it up with David Letterman in this interview. The actor appeared on The Late Show to promote Breaking Dawn. 20. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts on The Late Show Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts crack us up. Watch them play the Newlywed Game on The Late Show with David Letterman. 21. Selena Gomez on The Late Show: Avoiding Bieber… Selena Gomez, are you dating Justin Bieber? Well….ummm… he’s been in my life for awhile. Next question, please, David Letterman! 22. Howard Stern on The Late Show Howard Stern appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman in February 2011 and had one topic in mind: totally trashing Jay Leno. 23. Chris Rock on Letterman Chris Rock dishes on David Letterman’s sex scandal during a stint on the Late Show. You knew it was coming. 24. Don’t Blame Conan! David Letterman continues to fire shots at Jay Leno. He goes off about the comedian’s insincere explanation for the NBC late-night debacle in this clip. 25. David Letterman Apologizes to Wife David Letterman apologizes to his wife Regina Lasko and his staff on the October 5, 2009 episode of The Late Show. It’s heartfelt at least. 26. Letterman on Affair David Letterman spent 10 minutes on the air, detailing an extortion plot that threatened to expose his affair with a co-worker. This is incredible television. (Please don’t take it down, YouTube!) 27. Madonna on David Letterman On The Late Show with David Letterman, Madonna jokes about Alex Rodriguez, denied marriage rumors and ate pizza. Watch this hilarious clip. 28. David Letterman Apology to Sarah Palin David Letterman apologizes a second time for his comments about Sarah Palin and her daughters. There’s no defense of it, he says. 29. Letterman Reacts to 9/11 In a truly heartfelt few minutes of his talk show, David Letterman reacted to the events of 9/11. It was as moving as any on-air tribute can be and we only bring it up now to shove it in the face of Sarah Palin: with no history of controversy whatsoever, is this really a man you wanna imply is a pedophile? You should be ashamed of yourself, Governor.
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David Letterman to Retire in 2015
