The clean-shaven, wisecracking David Letterman characterized late-night television for decades.
After leaving The Late Show in 2015, Letterman grew a bushy, white beard that resembled Santa Claus.
David Letterman always left an impression, and his final Late Show broadcast was no exception. He retired from his iconic desk in 2015 with grace and humor, ending more than three decades of late-night television with a “soft bang”—a celebration of the individuals who made the show what it was.
That night was standard Letterman: segments, jokes, and music, but with a whiff of finality. The beloved host spent much of his final moments on air thanking the crew, guests, and fans who had supported him.
He retired with class, displaying his mastery once more.
Sagelike figure
Many only realized they would miss him after he gone. Letterman succeeded Johnny Carson and made late-night TV even more comfortable and funny for generations. Letterman, like Carson, could make every interview seem casual, even when hilarity occurred.
He suddenly left the airwaves, making late-night television less spontaneous and honest.
David Letterman left television, but he didn’t disappear. When he returned, many were surprised by his appearance. His clean-shaven face and carefully coiffed hair were replaced by an unkempt, snowy white beard that made him look sage-like.
If they met him on the street or saw this TV behemoth jogging, I doubt they would identify him. Even though many know David has grown out his beard, it and his aging have created a distinct picture than we saw on TV for decades.
Strike beard
New images of the former Late Show host showed a stunning post-retirement makeover, shocking many. Letterman jogged in St. Barts in 2016, looking bald, hairy, and unrecognizable from his usual clean-cut TV persona.
Letterman had left his razor unused before. The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike impacted most late-night talk shows. Many hosts paused their shows during that time, but David Letterman paid his staff’s salaries until the end of the year. In sympathy with the workers, he and other hosts grew a “strike beard.”
In a famous episode in the summer of 2008, Dave’s scruffy look was shaved, a moment that still makes fans grin.
But David’s 2008 beard is nothing compared to his today.
He adopted a new look after leaving the Late Show. Four months after his last episode, his beard grew thicker than ever. He told Whitefish Review he was “sick and tired of shaving.”
The wife dislikes it.
The post-retirement beard is now a mystery. He was compared to Santa Claus and a retired sea captain, but others saw it as a symbol of freedom.
Letterman’s decision to ditch the razor reflected his desire to abandon the formality and standards that had defined his image for so long.
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“I had to shave every day for 33 years,” he added. I worked on local TV before that. I decided to quit shaving first when I’m not on TV.”
Not everyone likes his new look.
“Everybody hates it,” Letterman said. “My wife hates it. Our son hates it. It’s intriguing. I like how eerie it looks.”
David Letterman today
David joked that he was less likely to shave the more people told him to.
The New York Post even engaged outside specialists to assess David Letterman’s new style. The paper interviewed Douglas LaBier, director of the Center for Progressive Development, about why Letterman has changed so much in appearance.
Being visible, identifiable, and obsessed over might push prominent individuals like Letterman to fit a stuffy mold, says LaBier.
“Who you really are is not that external role,” he said. “External success and material gain often come at the expense of your inner self, which must be addressed.
With his stunning beard and laid-back demeanor, David at 76 seemed to be living life on his own terms. He’s fit as a fiddle!
He looks more comfortable today, wiser by time, success, and maybe a few blunders!