He is the longest-running late-night TV host in the United States, known for his signature mix of sarcasm and just plain strangeness.
But David Letterman, he dropped a bombshell on his audience on Thursday. The comedian says he's calling it quits.
Nischelle Turner has more.
It's been great. You've been great. The network has been great, but I'm retiring.
This is... really?
Yep.
This is true... this is... you actually did this?
Yes, I did.
The latest late-night shake-up.
David Letterman, late-night television's longest-running host, surprised his audience Thursday night by announcing he's signing off next year.
After 33 years, the 66-year-old host is retiring when his contract expires in 2015.
Thank you. Thanks to everybody.
The surprise announcement comes less than two months after his new top-rated competitor, Jimmy Fallon, took the reins of NBC's Tonight Show,
at times nearly doubling the late-night veteran in ratings.
I'm Jimmy Fallon and I'll be your host for now.
Letterman still had an impressive audience every night at CBS.
But he wasn't creating lots of new fans all the time the way that somebody like Jimmy Fallon is.
Portions of Indiana at one time yesterday were under a flash flood warning.
Letterman started off as a weatherman in Indianapolis.
He launched Late Night with David Letterman on NBC in 1982, following The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson -- Letterman's idol.
Always the heir apparent for when Carson retired,
Letterman was stunned when NBC instead chose Jay Leno, sparking a rivalry that spanned more than two decades.
They never told Dave that they had made this deal with Jay,
and it was a huge blowup because Letterman felt like they'd stabbed him in the back.
Letterman's heated departure from NBC led to the creation of The Late Show on CBS in 1993,
taking Leno head-on.
How are things at the White House? OK?
For 21 years, he's been hosting stupid humans, pet tricks, singers and some of the biggest stars...
You thought I was a...
An (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
...and delivering his signature top-ten list.
Look at [this]. It's the top-ten list. Let's go.
But it hasn't been all jokes. He took us through life-changing heart surgery in 2000.
His first show after the 9/11 attacks serving as a key moment to help Americans move forward.
If you didn't believe it before, you can absolutely believe it now.
New York City is the greatest city in the world.
Through all the ups and downs, Letterman continued to do what he loved.
His run behind the desk eclipsing Johnny Carson's 30-year reign on late night --
truly an end of an era.
I said when this show stops being fun, I will retire ten years later.