After being on air for 6,028 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, David Letterman will host his last on May 20, 2015. The iconic talk show host will pass on the torch to Stephen Colbert, who will take over the show next year.
Letterman announced his retirement to a shocked Ed Sullivan Theatre studio audience back in April. He had not told anyone of his plans to make the announcement and it was greeted with stunned silence. Stephen Colbert, famous for his Colbert Report, was officially named as Letterman's successor a week later.
After 22 years of hosting his show at CBS and 11 years at NBC, Letterman has become a staple of late night television. In true Late Show fashion, here is our Top 10 list of the most memorable moments from his Award-winning talk show.
10. Letterman's unexpected retirement announcement on April 3, 2014 which no one knew he would be making during the taping.
9. Stephen Colbert gets Letterman's approval to take over the Late Show.
8. Lady Gaga tears up Dave's notes and eats paper when she doesn't like his list of questions.
7. Drew Barrymore dances on Dave's table and quickly flashes him.
6. Showing that he is human too, Dave publicly apologizes to his wife, on air, after allegations of affairs with his staff came to light.
5. Joaquin Phoenix' bizarre guesting after announcing his retirement from acting to pursue a rap career (all an act for a movie which he apologized for a year later.)
4. Dave gets his beard shaved on air.
3. Dave calls Bill O'Reilly a "Goon."
2. Although he rarely shared details of his personal life, Dave talked about going through quintuple heart bypass surgery during his opening monologue.
1. David Letterman's eulogy for his own late night talk show idol, Johnny Carson.
