David Letterman has set May 20 as his sign-off from CBS' Late Show. The date coincides with the end of the current TV season, and will pave the way for his replacement, Stephen Colbert, to take the Late Showreins in September. Programming plans for the summer are yet to be determined.
Letterman, though not the highest rated in late night, is a cherished institution, for his biting humor and tough-minded interviews. He's also the longest tenured: He will have hosted Late Show for 22 years, since 1993, and before that spent more than 11 years on NBC's Late Night. In all, he will have hosted 6,028 episodes of both shows.
"David Letterman has given to all of us a remarkable legacy of achievement and creative brilliance that will never be forgotten," said CBS chief Leslie Moonves, in a statement. "It's going to be tough to say goodbye, but I know we will all cherish the shows leading up to Dave's final broadcast in May."
In other changes, Colbert ends his Comedy Central series, The Colbert Report, next week, when Craig Ferguson also signs off as host of Late Late Show, produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company. Ferguson will be replaced by British actor and comedian James Corden in March.
