David Letterman’s ‘Late Show’ Set Tossed Into Dumpster Just Hours After Final Show


David Letterman barely had time to let his final show sink in before the set of the iconic late night show was reportedly broken down and tossed into a dumpster.

Letterman said goodbye to audiences on Wednesday night, retiring from the post of the Late Show that he held for the last 33 years. But by daybreak on Thursday, a crew had already taken apart the stage, dismantled audience chairs, and tossed much of Letterman’s set into a dumpster.

Many fans of Letterman were shocked to see such disregard for the iconic show. Stephanie Strausz, a Manhattan resident who managed to score a second-row ticket to the final show in Wednesday, said she was outraged to see the set being treated that way.

“I can’t believe they’re just demolishing the whole thing. It’s shocking,” she told the New York Post.

“It should go in the Smithsonian, not the Dumpster,” she said.

But Strausz also turned the moment into an opportunity, grabbing a keepsake from the dumpster outside of the Ed Sullivan Theater. Other photographers captured workers taking out the set, piece by piece, to be discarded.

While many fans were upset to see the show’s set end up in the garbage, others had a more realistic view of things. Executive producer Rob Burnett posted a picture of the emptied out set on Instagram and a seemingly accepting caption.

“Show business. They don’t waste much time,” he wrote.

David Letterman said goodbye Wednesday in a star-studded affair that included the Foo Fighters playing “Everlong,” one of Letterman’s favorite songs, in a touching six-minute montage to end the show. Dave was also ribbed by some famous friends in the final Top 10 list, titled “Top 10 Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say to David Letterman.”

The show reportedly attracted 13.8 million viewers, the most it has gotten since Letterman interviewed Oprah in 2005.

David Letterman is handing over the reins of the Late Show to Stephen Colbert, the comedian and former host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

Letterman had some nice words for his successor, telling viewers he was very excited to see Colbert taking over.

“I wish Stephen and his staff and crew nothing but the greatest success,” he said.

It appears that Colbert will be getting his own set.

But not all of David Letterman’s set ended up in the dumpster. Workers reportedly saved the replica of the Brooklyn Bridge that was seen behind Letterman.

[Image via Toronto Sun]

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