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Video: Did Letterman Just Say He Was Retiring in 2013?
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 4, 2011
Modified Feb 4, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 4, 2011
Modified Feb 4, 2011
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Did David Letterman just pull a Regis and announce his retirement last night? Maybe! During a chat with Howard Stern the shock jock asked the late night host "how much longer are you doing this, really?" To which Letterman responded "I don't know. Maybe two more years?"
"Two more years and then you exit?" Stern continued. "That's why we gotta beat Jay!" You can see the moment for yourself at about the 2:40 mark in this video:
If Letterman were to retire in 2013, it wouldn't be the biggest shock in the world—he would be 66, the same age that Johnny Carson was when he stepped down from the Tonight Show.
But maybe the scene last night wasn't what it looked like? Rob Burnett, president of Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants, downplayed the comment to Newsday saying that "Dave and Howard are very rare entities in the world of show business in that most people leave their shows when they are told and these guys have the choice to leave their series."
Meanwhile, we suddenly find our minds racing with thoughts of who could replace Dave. Because as much as we adore Craig Ferguson—who just keeps getting better and better every night and whose show is produced by Worldwide Pants—we don't think his schtick would translate that well to an earlier hour. Whatever happens, we hope it isn't as messy as when Conan briefly replaced Leno. So, if Dave were to go in two years, who would you like to see take his seat at the Ed Sullivan theater?
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craig ferguson
david letterman
howard stern
jay leno
retirement
Garth Johnston
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