David Letterman's final "Late Night" show Wednesday was filled with memories, including clips from past episodes, an all-star Top 10 list, and four presidents proclaiming the end of talk show's host historic run.
In separate videos, President Barack Obama — along with former presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton — all proclaimed that "Our long national nightmare is over."
Letterman, who has spent the last 33 years on late-night television, poked fun at himself plenty more times during the show, particularly during his opening monologue where he referred back to not getting the "The Tonight Show" spot after Johnny Carson left in 1992, leading to his
move to CBS, according to National Public Radio.
"I gotta be honest with you — it's beginning to look like I might not get 'The Tonight Show,'" Letterman quipped. Another clip included a mock "Wheel of Fortune" puzzle that revealed the answer "Good Riddance To David Letterman," noted NPR.
Letterman's "Top 10 List," a staple on his program since he started at NBC in 1982, featured a celebrity lineup of retired news anchor Barbara Walters, comedians Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, and actors Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, Jim Carrey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, and Bill Murray.
"Dave, I'll never have the money I owe you," Murray said as the No. 1 thing he always wanted to
tell Letterman, according to USA Today.
Letterman also mentioned his replacement, former "Colbert Report" host Stephen Colbert, and wished him well. "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" will
debut Sept. 8, according to Time magazine.
Letterman's wife Regina and son Harry also made rare public appearances in the audience as the talk show host addressed them directly.
"I want to thank my family: My wife Regina and my son Harry. Thank you. Just seriously, thank you for being my family. I love you both, and really nothing else matters, does it," Letterman said as the camera focused on the two.
Before concluding, Letterman thanked the band "Foo Fighters," mentioning how the group traveled from South America to perform on his show after he returned from open-heart surgery.
"And since then, we've been joined at the hip," he said. "All right. That's pretty much all I got. For the last time on a television program, thank you, and good night."