David Letterman Gets A ‘Late Show’ Sendoff From 5 U.S. Presidents: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Is Over!’

David Letterman received a farewell message from five U.S. presidents during his final The Late Show on Wednesday night.

Presidents Say Goodbye To Letterman: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Is Over!’

Kicking off the goodbyes was 38th President of the United Stated Gerald Ford from archival footage in which he says, “Our long national nightmare is over.” Though the late POTUS wasn’t talking about Letterman, four of the five living presidents – George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama – echoed the phrase he coined, referring to the host’s retirement.

Obama, the last of the presidents to announce that “our long national nightmare is over,” came face-to-face with Letterman at the end of the bit. Sheepishly, Letterman asked him, “You’re justing kidding right?”

Following the presidential farewell, which kicked off Letterman’s last show, announcer Alan Kalter introduced the comedian and host to the stage. “And now a boy from small-town Indiana, David Letterman!” Chants of “Dave! Dave! Dave!” filled up the studio and persisted with applause despite Letterman’s efforts to get everyone to quiet down.

“Now what happens is, we don’t have time for the giving-gifts-to-the-audience segment,” he joked.

Letterman has been at The Late Show for CBS for 33 years in which he’s hosted a total of 6,028 broadcasts and earned 16 Emmy awards.