Watch David Letterman's sweetly unsentimental farewell monologue

David Letterman does his final monologue — (Image credit: Late Show)

"I want to tell you one thing," David Letterman told the audience at the beginning of his final Late Show monologue. "I'll be honest with you, it's beginning to look like I'm not gonna get The Tonight Show." For the next nine minutes, Letterman cracked jokes about his post-retirement plans, indulged in a touch of nostalgia, and listed some pretty impressive numbers from his late-night career. There are one or two clunker jokes in there, but Letterman didn't get emotional and kept the opening light. If you watch, you'll also find little video farewell gifts from The Simpsons and Wheel of Fortune mixed in. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.