David Letterman has announced the date of his final show as the host of CBS’s Late Show, bringing to a close a relationship that has lasted since 1992 and helped to reshape late night television in the US.
Letterman, who first announced his retirement in April, will record his final Late Show on 20 May, and will be replaced by Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert.
CBS chief Leslie Moonves said: “We will all cherish the shows leading up to Dave’s final broadcast in May.” Moonves added that it was going to be hard to say goodbye to Letterman, who moved from NBC in the early 90s after being passed over as host of The Tonight Show host after Jonny Carson’s retirement.
That snub saw Jay Leno take over from Carson and started a late night ratings war which raged throughout the 90s and saw Leno dominate for the most part.
Since Leno’s departure in February, which saw Jimmy Fallon take over at the Tonight Show, Letterman has been in second place in the ratings to Jimmy Kimmel’s LA-based late night show which airs in the same slot.
Speaking in April, Letterman talked about the moment he decided to retire: “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.’”
Craig Ferguson, who hosts CBS’s the Late Late Show will record his final show on 19 December and will be replaced by British comedian James Corden, who will start his new show on 9 March.
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