David Letterman is retiring from TV. The 66-year-old comedian made the shocking announcement during a Thursday afternoon (Apr. 3) taping of the "Late Show with David Letterman." According to reports, he won't be returning to his hosting gig once his contract is up in 2015.
Before making the announcement, Letterman told the audience that he had informed CBS president Les Mooves of his decision. News of Letterman's retirement first broke on Twitter and was confirmed by Tom Keaney, a spokesman for the comedian's production company, the New York Times reports.
"The man who [runs] 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 agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance," Letterman told the audience. "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."
"I just want to reiterate my thanks for the support from the network, all of the people who have worked here, all of the people in the theater, all the people on the staff, everybody at home, thank you very much," he added. "What this means now, is that Paul [Shaffer] and I can be married."
Letterman was jokingly referring to his bandleader, who has been by his side since 1982.
"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," Letter said.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Moonves issued a statement about the retirement, calling it "poignant."
"There is only one David Letterman. His greatness will always be remembered here, and he will certainly sit among the pantheon of this business," he said.
As of now, it's not clear how or when CBS will replace Letterman. According to USA Today, he signed a one-year contract extension that will take him into August 2015. There are reports that the late-night funnyman could leave as early as May of next year.
Reportedly, insiders have said that "Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson is not being considered as a replacement, the newspaper claims.
What do you think about David Letterman's retirement?
