It was a “Late Show” that left fans laughing through their tears — and begging for more.
David Letterman signed off as the king of late night for the last time Wednesday with heartfelt thanks to everyone who made his dreams come true in a finale that ran some 20 minutes over schedule.
“The people who watch this show I can never repay you,” a humble Letterman said before ending the program.
The 68-year-old funnyman walked on stage to a standing ovation, and chants of “Dave! Dave! Dave!”
Letterman took fans on a trip down memory lane, showing highlights of some of his 6,000-plus episodes, from funny conversations with kids to a stint taking orders at a Taco Bell.
In his last monologue, he cracked jokes about his retirement, saying he was tired of being asked what he was going to do next.
“So by God I hope to become the new face of Scientology,” he joked.
He also quipped, “It’s beginning to look like I’m not gonna get the ‘Tonight Show.'”
Riffing on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” Letterman said, “When we first came on, the hottest show on TV was keeping up with the Gabors.”
CBS Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves, sometimes the butt of Letterman’s jokes, came on stage even before the taping began to thank the broadcasting giant for his stellar run.
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During the show, Letterman thanked Moonves for his support and for being “more than patient with me.”
President Obama and former Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton kicked off the broadcast in a video, in which they all joked, “Our long national nightmare is over.”
The Top 10 topic, “Final things I would like to say to David Letterman,” was delivered by the likes of Steve Martin, Tina Fey, Jerry Seinfeld, Barbara Walters, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Alec Baldwin, Jim Carrey, Peyton Manning and Chris Rock.
Bill Murray, appearing on the show for the second night in a row, wrapped up the segment, saying, “Dave I’ll never have the money I owe you.”
“Late Show” favorites the Foo Fighters provided a rocking crescendo, playing Letterman off to his favorite song, “Everlong,” a tune that helped him recover from open heart surgery in 2000.
Members of the last audience of the “Late Show With David Letterman” walked out of the historic event at the Ed Sullivan Theater in Midtown dabbing their eyes and smiling.
“It was epic. Letterman was sweet and strong and thankful,” said Stephanie Sirola, 48, of Chelsea, who summed up the final show as “beautifully emotional.”
Lucy Pratti, 56, of Brooklyn, admitted to getting choked up when the lights of the theater were turned on and Letterman introduced his wife, Regina, and 11-year-old son, Harry.
Letterman told his wife and son, “Seriously, just thank you for being my family. I love you both.”
Susan Nininger, 65, of Chapel Hill, N.C., said she got “a little overwhelmed” listening to Letterman’s “heartfelt goodbye.”
“I really did not expect that. It was centered around his appreciation for the audience,” Nininger said. “He thanked everyone, and you could see love on the stage.”
Tania Levy Medney, 59, of Westchester County, said she couldn’t feel sad.
“The show was so uplifting,” Medney said. “Everything was silly. When David Letterman was speaking, he was thanking everyone, it was so upbeat. It made you leave feeling upbeat.”
The finale was equally bittersweet for the “Late Show” staff.
“People will miss what Dave gives. He doesn’t insult their intelligence. He just says, ‘Don’t you get it?'” said Susan Hum, the show’s costume designer for 32 years.
Gene Szymanski, 44, who has worked in the props department for 22 years, wore a jacket reading, “Thank You and Good Night” — a gift from his now ex-boss. He was proud the show went out on a high note.
“It’s been three weeks of good shows, and it could have ended any night and been good,” Szymanski said.
“Tonight was just about the show, not about anyone’s cookbooks, movies or whatever … but it was about the people who made the show,” he added.
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More than a year ago, CBS revealed that Stephen Colbert will take over Letterman’s show. His first episode will air Sept. 8.
“I’m very excited. I think he’s gong to do a wonderful job,” Letterman said of Colbert. “And I wish nothing but success to him and his crew.
When Letterman was passed over for Jay Leno as the successor to Johnny Carson, he bolted for CBS. Letterman competed head-to-head against Leno for most of the next 22 years from his perch at the renovated Ed Sullivan Theater. In all, he — and his longtime musical sidekick Paul Shaffer — did 6,028 episodes in his two late-night slots.
Dozens of Letterman fans began lining up outside the Sullivan Theater at 6 a.m. for a chance to be part of TV history.
Angela and Glen Stanton flew in on a 5:45 a.m. flight from Atlanta sporting T-shirts that read “Thanks Dave” in the signature Late Night block lettering.
“We don’t let just anyone share our bedroom,” Glen, 60, joked. “He’s got a very quirky sense of humor, very Midwestern sense of humor. We’re originally from Illinois and Ohio, so we appreciate that.”
“It’s the end of an era,” Angela, 55, chimed in. “We grew up with him. He’s an original.”
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Brothers Bill Bartko, 35, and Nick Bartko, 31, drove through the night from Virginia to make the last show.
“It’s special because there will never be another one,” said Bill, who had seen the show live three times before. “A son of the Midwest becomes a comedy legend. Our family is from Ohio, so we really appreciate it. He’s one of a kind.”
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With Caitlin Nolan, Laura Bult, Corky Siemaszko
