Ever since David Letterman announced his retirement from CBS late night in April, there’s been a lot of discussion regarding who would take on the Late Show mantel once he’s gone. However, there’s been little discussion as to when exactly we can expect to see the famed talk show host take his final steps off the series’ stage, which is, arguably, the more important question. Once the host leaves, it will be the marking of something not seen on television in decades – the ending of a comedic generation. But now, we can circle our calendars for the final moments of Dave’s tenure as it’s been revealed Letterman’s final episode of Late Show will air Wednesday, May 20, 2015.

While the world of late-night’s gone through a major shakeup in the last few years that’s seen Stephen Colbert named Letterman’s replacement, Larry Wilmore named Colbert’s, Chelsea Handler leaving E! for Netflix and James Corden taking over for Craig Ferguson, Letterman’s departure’s going to be a particularly hard pill to swallow. Love him or hate him, the man is the last remaining symbol of the genre’s old guard, and his retirement means the new generation will have completely taken over.

Interestingly, it’s funny to think Letterman ended up being the last to go considering his controversial history. Back in the day, he was the Conan of a past fan base that watched the comedian get passed over as Johnny Carson’s successor for The Tonight Show in favor of Jay Leno. It kind of makes one wonder what the world would have looked like had Letterman been the one to fill Carson’s seat instead of Leno, who would later go on to lose his seat before regaining it again and losing it a second time.

There’s a very slim chance Letterman actually retires from television overall – he’ll be entertaining people up to his last breath, but now that he’s proven to be the last man standing in a battle spanning over two decades, it makes sense why he’s chosen to hand over his chair to a fresh face.

What do you think Letterman will do in his post-Late Show career? Let us know in the comments below.

[HT The Wrap]