David Letterman Finally Returns to ‘The Late Show’

Letterman’s willingness to appear as a guest on other programs, as well as his conspicuous absence from the show that made him a household name, led some to wonder what was keeping him from returning to his old stomping grounds at The Late Show. Some speculated that it may have had to do with his response to Colbert being selected as his successor, just a week after Letterman announced he was leaving the show.“They didn’t have to put much thought to it, did they?” said Letterman in 2015. “I think [the announcement] was the very next day.” On top of that, Colbert quickly ascended to the top of the late night charts, with The Late Show becoming the highest-rated late night television show two years after he took over—a distinction that eluded Letterman for most of his tenure behind the desk. 

However, it was all good vibes between the host and guest during Letterman’s visit. Perhaps that’s because Letterman recently appeared on the Strike Force Five podcast, which saw late night hosts Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and John Oliver join forces while their shows were on hiatus due to the writers’ strike.  On Letterman’s episode, Colbert cleared up how he wound up booking the The Late Show, saying that producers approached him about potentially replacing Letterman in 2013, but that Colbert wanted to confirm that Letterman knew about their conversation before moving forward. Letterman announced his retirement about six months later, in 2014. 

On the podcast, Letterman told Colbert that while he’d talked to producers about potentially retiring, he never had any conversations with them about Colbert or any other potential replacements. “I’m certain that that part didn’t happen,” said Letterman. Letterman went on to compare the situation to one he faced decades ago, when NBC approached him about becoming a part-time host of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson without running the idea by Carson. Once he found out Carson was in the dark, Letterman turned down the gig and, after an infamous battle with Jay Leno to replace Carson, went on to create The Late Show for CBS in 1993.

But now, any uncomfortable feelings between Letterman and Colbert seem to be water under the bridge. Toward the end of the segment, Letterman asked to sit behind his desk, for old time’s sake. Colbert happily obliged. “What do you think of my supplies?” Colbert asked. “Was that anything like you had down there?” “What?” Mr. Letterman quipped. “All this weed?”