Entertainment • 7 min read

In pictures: ‘The Late Show’ goes dark

Updated 17 min ago

Source: CNN:::

Two kings of late night, Stephen Colbert and David Letterman, served as hosts of "The Late Show" during its three decades on the air. Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

By Sandra Gonzalez and Brook Joyner, CNN

After 33 years and five presidential administrations, CBS’s “The Late Show,” the quirky-but-wise best friend of television, is going dark.

The franchise, overseen first by David Letterman and then by Stephen Colbert, is going out at a strange time and in a strange way that feels strangely sad for those who for decades have put their trust in the hosts to lull them to bed via one of television’s most intimate timeslots.

Whether that relationship was nurtured through a bulky TV set or through bits of content streamed on a handheld device, the loss is palpable and deserves a look back.

“Late Show with David Letterman” debuted on CBS in 1993 with Bill Murray acting as the inaugural guest. Murray had also been the first guest back when Letterman made his late-night debut in 1982 on NBC, which was filmed at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Arriving on stage for Letterman’s new program, Murray, seen spray painting Letterman’s new desk, appeared winded and deadpanned breathlessly, “I went to the other place.” Alan Singer/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

During his first monologue, Letterman recognized the historical significance of making his new home at the Ed Sullivan Theater in a way only he could, joking that during renovations, crews knocked down a wall and found “a 45-year-old woman still down there screaming, ‘Ringo!’” The show almost didn’t end up at the famed theater, where The Beatles performed back in 1964. Producers had also entertained filming the show in California. CBS/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Reviewers of Letterman’s first show made clear that though his network and timeslot had changed, he had not. For better or worse, his liability — specifically “his tendency to cross the line from supremely dry wit to real cruelty,” as <em>The New York Times </em>put it — was on full display. Much of the press around late night soon focused on the “wars” between Letterman and Jay Leno, second from right, who was picked over Letterman to head the “Tonight Show” after Johnny Carson, right, departed the program. (Garry Shandling, second from left, another one of Carson's guest hosts, was twice offered his own late-night program but declined the offers to create<em>The Larry Sanders Show, </em>a sitcom that lampooned late-night TV.) Back when overnight ratings meant something, Leno would frequently win over Letterman. In 2011, Letterman’s marginal November sweeps win in the key 18-49 demographic over Leno was a big deal, with the LA Times noting at the time that it was the first time that had happened since 1994. — Reviewers of Letterman’s first show made clear that though his network and timeslot had changed, he had not. For better or worse, his liability — specifically “his tendency to cross the line from supremely dry wit to real cruelty,” as The New York Times put it — was on full display. Much of the press around late night soon focused on the “wars” between Letterman and Jay Leno, second from right, who was picked over Letterman to head the “Tonight Show” after Johnny Carson, right, departed the program. (Garry Shandling, second from left, another one of Carson's guest hosts, was twice offered his own late-night program but declined the offers to createThe Larry Sanders Show, a sitcom that lampooned late-night TV.) Back when overnight ratings meant something, Leno would frequently win over Letterman. In 2011, Letterman’s marginal November sweeps win in the key 18-49 demographic over Leno was a big deal, with the LA Times noting at the time that it was the first time that had happened since 1994. NBC/Kobal/Shutterstock

Letterman had a knack for creating viral TV moments back when the word was rarely if ever used out of the medical context. Drew Barrymore’s 1995 desk dance, during which she flashed her bare chest to the host, was one among the many. Reflecting on the panned moment years later, Letterman told<strong> </strong>the New York Daily News: “You know, I think the world of this kid. I think she's delightful. And I guess an argument can be made that it was in bad taste, but I have to say from a professional standpoint and also from a personal standpoint, it was certainly one of the delights of my adult life.' Barrymore later recreated a tamer version of the moment on Stephen Colbert’s desk. — Letterman had a knack for creating viral TV moments back when the word was rarely if ever used out of the medical context. Drew Barrymore’s 1995 desk dance, during which she flashed her bare chest to the host, was one among the many. Reflecting on the panned moment years later, Letterman told the New York Daily News: “You know, I think the world of this kid. I think she's delightful. And I guess an argument can be made that it was in bad taste, but I have to say from a professional standpoint and also from a personal standpoint, it was certainly one of the delights of my adult life." Barrymore later recreated a tamer version of the moment on Stephen Colbert’s desk. Alan Singer/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Those who remember Letterman for his raunch are only recalling half the story. Letterman was a master of tone — a late-night ship captain who took the days’ heaviest burdens and found a way to make them lighter. Look no further than his return to air less than a week after 9/11, when he delivered a joke-free monologue from behind his desk. His guests that day were Regis Philbin and Dan Rather. Letterman recalled later: “I remember not wanting to go back, not feeling ready to go back, but knowing we had to go back. And you know — my concerns were minimal compared to people who really suffered.” John Paul Filo/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Letterman’s Top Ten Lists were one of the devices that made the move with him from NBC. The recurring segment was where Letterman would often take sharp aim at politicians and political issues. Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS/Getty Images

In present-day light, some of Letterman’s approach comes across as downright callous, particularly some of his interviews with female stars like Lindsay Lohan, who cried on air after he grilled her on an upcoming rehab stint. He also clashed with Paris Hilton and Madonna, whose 1994 expletive-ladden on-air verbal sparring match with Letterman is the stuff of legends. Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS/Getty Images

In 2014, days before his 67th birthday, Letterman announced he was stepping down from “The Late Show” after presiding over 4,000 episodes of that show and 6,000 episodes of late-night programming over three decades. His show would run almost a full year after his announcement, ending on May 20, 2015. Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS/Getty Images

Comedy Central’s satirist-in-chief and “The Colbert Report” host Stephen Colbert was picked to inherit Letterman’s desk, but big questions remained. He was best known for playing a character, a take on right wing commentators in the vein of Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly. For the first time, Colbert, who counted George Clooney among his first guests, was going to get a chance to showcase his real persona. Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS/Getty Images

As late-night skewed toward games and attempts at viral moments, Colbert’s superpower became the uncanny ability to guide the audience through moments of confusion, frustration and sadness. “When you're seeing all the insane things that are coming out of this administration, you start to feel like you’re going crazy,” Richard Dahm, co-executive producer of “The Colbert Report,” said in CNN's <a href='https://www.cnn.com/videos/title-2599507'>“The Last Laugh: Stephen Colbert” documentary</a>. “To be able to hear someone make jokes about it, it makes it easier to deal with.” Colbert became that person and the ratings boomed. — As late-night skewed toward games and attempts at viral moments, Colbert’s superpower became the uncanny ability to guide the audience through moments of confusion, frustration and sadness. “When you're seeing all the insane things that are coming out of this administration, you start to feel like you’re going crazy,” Richard Dahm, co-executive producer of “The Colbert Report,” said in CNN's “The Last Laugh: Stephen Colbert” documentary. “To be able to hear someone make jokes about it, it makes it easier to deal with.” Colbert became that person and the ratings boomed. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Colbert really found his footing around the 2016 election. Guests leading up to election night included his old pal Jon Stewart. Colbert even had a commercial-free, live special as the results came in that aired on Showtime, the corporate sibling of CBS, that turned into something of an awkward, morose exercise as it became clear Donald Trump was going to best Hillary Clinton. “What that was was that I was completely emotionally raw and I think it’s important for the audience to know that you’re not lying to them,” he later told Anderson Cooper. “At that moment, I just ran out of bulls**t.” Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty Images

During the 2020 global pandemic, television became an even more important salve for the worries and fears of the time. Colbert oversaw his first audience-free show on March 12, 2020, later switching to a virtual format from his home. The show would not welcome back an audience in person until June 2021. Chris Licht/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

In July 2025, Colbert announced that CBS was ending his program due to financial pressures. The timing was eyebrow raising. The network’s parent company, Paramount, had just two weeks prior settled a lawsuit with President Trump and had its merger with Skydance Media approved days later. Colbert’s firing was decried by fans, comedians and free speech advocates alike. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu/Getty Images

Colbert’s long-ish goodbye has been marked by tributes from those who hail his on-air bravery over the years and long-awaited recognition, including the show’s first-ever win for outstanding talk series at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2025. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images

Ahead of his last show, Colbert reunited with fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Jimmy Kimmel, who together had formed a podcast called “Stike Force Five” during the 2023 writers’ strike. Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty Images

It was only fitting, of course, that one of Colbert’s final guests was the man who used to sit in his chair. The melding of the two comedic minds included lots of jokes at CBS’s expense, including a segment during which they hurled furniture off the roof of the theater they both have called home. The bullseye was a CBS eye logo. "I thought maybe tonight's occasion would be a little sad, being the end of your run here, but this brings true joy to my heart," Letterman told Colbert. He added: “Thank you for everything you’ve done for our country.” Colbert replied, “The feeling is mutual, Dave.” Scott Kowalchyk/CBS