The Late Show host David Letterman has announced he will be retiring in 2015 at the end of his current contract.
The announcement came on Thursday night’s episode which shot this afternoon in New York. Letterman said that he only told CBS about his decision today.
“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 agree 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.'”
He continued, “We don’t have the timetable for this precisely down – I think it will be at least a year or so, but sometime in the not too distant future, 2015 for the love of God, in fact, Paul and I will be wrapping things up.”
Watch:
UPDATE: CBS CEO Les Moonves has now issued a statement. “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. His greatness will always be remembered here, and he will certainly sit among the pantheon of this business. On a personal note, it’s been a privilege to get to know Dave and to enjoy a terrific relationship. It’s going to be tough to say goodbye. Fortunately, we won’t have to do that for another year or so. Until then, we look forward to celebrating Dave’s remarkable show and incredible talents.”
The musical guest of the night, Mike Mills, was the first to share the news on Twitter:
Dave just announced his retirement #2015 #muchlovedave
— Mike Mills (@m_millsey) April 3, 2014
Following 39-year-old Jimmy Fallon’s takeover of The Tonight Show on NBC in February, Letterman is now the oldest of the three late night network talk show hosts (Kimmel, 46, is at ABC).
Ratings wise, Fallon and Seth Meyers’ Late Night have been pummeling their competitors in the ratings. In the week of March 24 – 8, The Tonight Show beat the combined scores of Letterman’s The Late Show and Kimmel’s Live.
We’ll share video of Letterman’s announcement when it’s available. While it’s too early to know who will replace him, one obvious choice may be The Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson (who is 51 years old). On the other hand, CBS may be looking for younger blood who can compete with Fallon and Kimmel.
Other possible contenders could be successful late night talk show hosts on cable. Conan O’Brien currently hosts Conan on TBS, and his contract ends in November 2015. Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have contracts for their talk shows that run until mid-2015 and late-2014 respectively.
The Late Show premiered on CBS in August 1993.
Letterman’s talk show made headlines yesterday when the host, Bill Murray, and Lady Gaga took a selfie together.