Editing Late Show with David Letterman (section)

==Notable episodes==
{{Main|List of The Late Show with David Letterman episodes{{!}}List of ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' episodes}}
{{see also|Madonna on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1994|Warren Zevon on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2002}}

The guests with the most appearances were [[Regis Philbin]] (150 appearances), [[Marv Albert]] (126 appearances, 73 from ''Late Night''<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts from 25 Years in Late Night|url=http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-sports/releases/view?id=15001|publisher=[[CBS]]}}</ref>), and [[Jack Hanna]] (102).

Among the show's highlights:<ref name="cbsmile">{{cite news|title= Letterman Marks a Milestone |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/letterman-marks-a-milestone/ |publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=February 2, 2007 |access-date=September 23, 2009}}</ref>
* The premiere on August 30, 1993, which attracted 23&nbsp;million viewers; [[Bill Murray]] was the show's first guest, and [[Billy Joel]] was the show's first musical act;
* In a September 7, 1993, interview, [[Rosie Perez]] mentioned that she had attended a DJ party called [[Funkmaster Flex]] Night to which Letterman jokingly displayed his ignorance by pretending to know with the response “Funk. Master. Flex night… Hard to get a ticket to Funkmaster Flex Night.” This was later sampled by the DJ himself and it became a famous [[needle drop (DJing)|needle drop]] in the [[hip hop]] community.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Murray |first1=Nick |title=How a David Letterman Diss Became Hip-Hop Legend |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/funkmaster-flex-night-how-a-letterman-diss-became-hip-hop-legend-66406/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=18 May 2015}}</ref> Letterman was made aware of this cultural moment 26 years later by [[Desus & Mero (2019 TV series)|Desus and Mero]] when he appeared on their show.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wright |first1=Megh |title=Desus and Mero's Extended Interview With David Letterman Is a Total Delight |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/desus-mero-david-letterman-interview.html |work=Vulture |date=4 February 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref>
* The [[Madonna on Late Show with David Letterman in 1994|episode featuring Madonna]] on March 31, 1994;
* A visit from [[Drew Barrymore]] on April 12, 1995, during which she "jump[ed] on his desk and flash[ed] her breasts" in a "birthday gift he'll never forget";<ref name="cbsmile"/>
* The episode on December 31, 1999, airing in prime-time.<ref name="cbsmile" />
* The episodes airing the week of February 21, 2000, which began with Letterman's return to the air after his [[Coronary artery bypass surgery|quintuple bypass surgery]], with [[Bill Cosby]] hosting the show of February 22, as the show's first ever substitute host, and [[Regis Philbin]] hosting on February 24.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/02/15/no-shortage-of-subs-when-letterman-returns/ |title=No Shortage of Subs When Letterman Returns |date=February 15, 2000|first1=Ellen |last1=Warren |first2=Terry |last2=Armour|work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=August 23, 2014}}</ref>
* His return to the airwaves on September 17, 2001, following the [[September 11 attacks]] in a show that featured [[Dan Rather]], [[Regis Philbin]], The [[Boys' Choir of Harlem]], and [[Odetta]]—it was "hailed by the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' as 'one of the purest, most honest and important moments in TV history'."
* The [[Warren Zevon on Late Show with David Letterman in 2002|October 30, 2002, episode]] in which the sole guest was frequent guest and substitute bandleader [[Warren Zevon]], devoted to discussing Zevon's terminal cancer diagnosis.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siegel |first=Alan |date=2022-10-28 |title=The Night Warren Zevon Left the 'Late Show' Building |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/28/23426969/warren-zevon-late-show-david-letterman-anniversary |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=The Ringer |language=en}}</ref>
* March 17, 2004, [[Courtney Love]] appeared on the show to promote her debut solo album, [[America's Sweetheart (album)|America's Sweetheart]]. Her appearance drew widespread media coverage when she lifted her shirt multiple times and flashed her breasts at Letterman in a reenactment of Drew Barrymore's appearance.
* January 31, 2005, was Letterman's first show after his long-time friend and mentor [[Johnny Carson]] had died. His monologue that night consisted entirely of jokes written by Carson. Carson had died on January 23, but Letterman's show was in reruns at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1023108,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320020958/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1023108,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 20, 2008|title=Letterman Delivers Carson's Final Monologue|date=February 1, 2005|access-date=June 6, 2015|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]}}</ref>
* January 2, 2008, was the first night the ''Late Show'' returned to air after the 2007 WGA strike began. Due to a compromise worked out between Worldwide Pants and WGA, ''Late Show'' was allowed to continue with writers on the job until the strike ended in February 2008.{{citation needed|reason=why were they exempt?|date=April 2019}}
* In 2008, [[John McCain]] was originally scheduled to be the guest on the show but cancelled at the last minute, supposedly to deal with the economic crisis. However, it was revealed during the show that while the show was being taped, McCain was actually doing an interview with [[Katie Couric]] for CBS News.{{citation needed|reason=was this alleged economic reason confirmed? What dates were the Late Show & CBS News episodes?|date=April 2019}} McCain's last-minute replacement was [[Keith Olbermann]].
* [[Paul McCartney]] appeared as a guest on July 15, 2009, in the [[Ed Sullivan Theater|same theater]] where [[the Beatles]] made their [[The Ed Sullivan Show#The Beatles|U.S. television debut]] in 1964. McCartney later performed "[[Get Back]]" on top of the theater's marquee, emulating [[the Beatles' rooftop concert]] of 1969.<ref name=paul>{{cite magazine|title=Paul McCartney Stuns Manhattan With Set on Letterman's Marquee|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=July 16, 2009|access-date=September 19, 2015|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/paul-mccartney-stuns-manhattan-with-set-on-lettermans-marquee-20090716}}</ref>
* On October 1, 2009, Letterman revealed that he had been the target of an [[David Letterman#Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs|extortion attempt]].
* On October 29, 2012, the show was taped without an audience due to [[Hurricane Sandy]], which prompted the ''Late Show'' staff to send the audience home for safety reasons.<ref name=sandy>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Sandy: David Letterman Performs Eerie Monologue to Empty Studio (Video)|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=October 29, 2012|access-date=October 30, 2012|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/hurricane-sandy-david-letterman-performs-eerie-monologue-empty-231618030.html}}</ref>
* On April 3, 2014, Letterman announced his retirement from the ''Late Show''.
* On April 22, 2014, [[Stephen Colbert]] made his first appearance on the ''Late Show'' since being unveiled as Letterman's successor.
* On August 18, 2014, in his first new show since the death of [[Robin Williams]], Letterman paid tribute to the comedian, whom he had known dating back to their days at [[the Comedy Store]] in [[Los Angeles]]. "I had no idea that the man was in pain, that the man was suffering," Letterman said of Williams, who committed suicide. A montage of clips aired featuring Williams' multiple appearances on the ''Late Show'', as well as an episode of ''[[Mork & Mindy]]'' in which Letterman was a guest star.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/david-letterman-robin-williams_n_5690906.html|title=David Letterman Had the Most Touching Robin Williams Tribute of Them All|access-date=August 19, 2014|work=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref> The tribute was the week's most watched late night talk show video, receiving over 3.3&nbsp;million views online.<ref>{{cite web|title='Late Show with David Letterman' & 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' Have the Two Most Viewed Late-Night Clips for August 18–22 |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/08/22/late-show-with-david-letterman-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-have-the-two-most-viewed-late-night-clips-for-august-18-22/295734/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825112339/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/08/22/late-show-with-david-letterman-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-have-the-two-most-viewed-late-night-clips-for-august-18-22/295734/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 25, 2014 |date=August 22, 2014 |first=Kruthika |last=Kumar |publisher=[[TV by the Numbers]] |quote=This week on ''The Late Show With David Letterman'', Letterman paid tribute to Robin Williams, recalling their early days as stand-up comics and their thirty-eight year friendship. This video has received over 3.3 million views, making it this week's most watched late night talk show video. |access-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref>
*On December 18, 2014, singer [[Darlene Love]] performed “[[Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)]]” for the final time on the show after performing it every year since the show began.
* The [[series finale]] on May 20, 2015, which ran 17 minutes over time and had 13.7&nbsp;million viewers, was introduced by archival footage of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Gerald Ford]] and pre-recorded cameos of former Presidents [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[George W. Bush]], and incumbent [[Barack Obama]] all saying, "[[our long national nightmare is over]]". Ten celebrities participated in the Top Ten List of "Things I've Always Wanted to say to Dave", namely, in order of appearance, [[Alec Baldwin]], [[Barbara Walters]], [[Steve Martin]], [[Jerry Seinfeld]], [[Jim Carrey]], [[Chris Rock]], [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]], [[Peyton Manning]], [[Tina Fey]], and [[Bill Murray]]. Letterman thanked his wife Regina and son Harry, both of whom were in the audience, his mother, viewers, the show's staff, and Paul Shaffer and the band, and also wished good luck to his successor, [[Stephen Colbert]]. The show included highlights from ''[[The David Letterman Show]]'' and ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' as well as the ''Late Show'', featured clips of Letterman's bits with children, a performance by the [[Foo Fighters]] playing Letterman's favorite song, "[[Everlong]]", and ended with a shot of his son, Harry, skiing.<ref>{{cite news|title=David Letterman's final Late Show: recap here|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/david-letterman-s-final-late-show-recap-here-1.3081539|access-date=May 21, 2015|work=CBC News|date=May 21, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Late Night with David Letterman:' Stars recite final Top 10 list|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/david-letterman-final-top-10-list-article-1.2230190|access-date=May 21, 2015|work=New York Daily News|date=May 20, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=David Letterman's emotional farewell|url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/05/20/media/david-letterman-goodbye-late-show/|access-date=May 21, 2015|work=CNN Money|date=May 21, 2015}}</ref>

=== Most ''Late Show'' appearances ===
The person who appeared the most on the ''Late Show'' was media personality [[Regis Philbin]], with 150 total appearances over the show's 22-season run. [[Jack Hanna]] was in second place with 103 appearances, followed by [[Tony Randall]] with 70, [[Marv Albert]] with 52, and [[Tom Brokaw]] with 49.

[[Darlene Love]] appeared with a musical number 21 times, most notably for a 19-year-long annual tradition of her performing "[[Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)]]" (18 live plus one video clip) on the show's last episode before Christmas. This continued a tradition that started in 1986 on Letterman's [[NBC]] show ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'', performing the song as Letterman's Christmas finale 28 times across his ''Late Show'' and ''Late Night'' run.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-12-14/darlene-love-christmas-without-david-letterman |title=For Darlene Love, a Christmas without David Letterman? |first=April |last=Peavey |work=[[Public Radio International]] |date=December 14, 2015 |access-date=September 28, 2017}}</ref> Love's final Christmas appearance was on December 19, 2014, nine days after the announcement that the show's finale would be in May 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/20/arts/television/darlene-loves-last-letterman-christmas.html |last=Itzkoff |first=Dave |title=Darlene Love's Last 'Letterman' Christmas |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 20, 2014}}</ref> Letterman has stated that the annual performance is his favorite part of Christmas. Due to the [[2007 Writers Guild of America strike]], Love was unable to perform on the Letterman show in 2007;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_7798837 |title=People: Love Lost for Letterman |first=Mike |last=Wolcott |date=December 24, 2007 |newspaper=[[Contra Costa Times]] |location=[[Walnut Creek, California]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228105813/http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_7798837?nclick_check=1 |archive-date=December 28, 2007}}</ref> instead, a repeat of her 2006 performance was shown. Love was also the musical guest on May 7, 2007, performing "[[River Deep – Mountain High]]", while also appearing as a background choral singer on October 15, 2008. Love had a 22nd appearance, appearing as an interview guest on June 12, 2013, to talk about the documentary ''[[20 Feet from Stardom]]''.

[[Blues Traveler]] holds the record for most appearances on the show by a band.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Umphrey's McGee & Blues Traveler |url=https://www.bluenotejazz.com/napa/shows/?eid=TWL6186434 |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=Blue Note Napa |language=en-US}}</ref>