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The cold intro was a video clip of Gerald Ford saying, "Our long national nightmare is over," after assuming the presidency following the resignation of Richard Nixon on Aug. 9, 2004. It was followed by former presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and President Barack Obama repeating that line in reference to Letterman having his final show.
"Our long national nightmare is over," Obama said. "Letterman is retiring."
The 68-year-old Letterman, standing next to Obama, then said, "You're just kidding, right?" Obama then shrugged.
The warm farewell came when the show, which ran approximately 15 minutes longer than its usual one hour, ended with Letterman saying to the audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan, "I have one thing left to do. Thank you and good night."
Letterman's wife, Regina, and young son, Harry, were seated nearby.
Letterman's "Top 10 list" featured a roll call of celebrities, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, Chris Rock and Julie Louis Dreyfuss, sharing ""Things I've always wanted to say to Dave."
Obama sent a Tweet about Letterman's last show after visiting Westchester and Fairfield, Conn., saying "TV won't be the same without Dave."
You can watch the final episode here.
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