David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He hosted a late night television talk show for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC, and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,028 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late night talk show host in American television history. In 1996 Letterman was ranked 45th on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

In the months following the end of Late Show Letterman has been seen occasionally at sports events such as the Indianapolis 500, during which he submitted to an interview with a local publication. He made a surprise appearance on stage in San Antonio, Texas when he was invited up for an extended segment during Steve Martin and Martin Short's A Very Stupid Conversation show saying "I retired, and...I have no regrets," Letterman told the crowd after walking on stage. "I was happy. I'll make actual friends. I was complacent. I was satisfied. I was content, and then a couple of days ago Donald Trump said he was running for president. I have made the biggest mistake of my life, ladies and gentlemen" and then delivering a Top Ten List roasting Donald Trump's presidential campaign followed by an on-stage conversation with Martin and Short. Cell phone recordings of the appearance were posted on YouTube by audience members and were widely reported in the media.  In 2016, Letterman joined the climate change documentary show Years of Living Dangerously as one of the show's celebrity correspondents. In season two's premiere episode, Letterman traveled to India to investigate the country's efforts to expand its inadequate energy grid, power its booming economy and bring electricity for the first time to 300 million citizens. He also interviewed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and traveled to rural villages where power is a scarce luxury and explored the United States role in India's energy future.  In 2017, Letterman and Alec Baldwin co-hosted The Essentials on Turner Classic Movies. Letterman and Baldwin introduced seven films for the series.  Letterman has announced that in 2018 he will be hosting a six-episode series of hour-long programs on Netflix consisting of long-form interviews and field segments. The show will be entitled My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, with the first episode released on January 12, 2018, featuring Barack Obama.

What did he do after he left the late show ?
following the end of Late Show Letterman has been seen occasionally at sports events such as the Indianapolis 500, during which he submitted to an interview with a local publication.