4 Apr 2014

Letterman to retire in 2015

12:48 pm on 4 April 2014

Veteran American late-night TV host David Letterman is to retire in 2015, after 22 years of fronting The Late Show with David Letterman on the CBS network.

President Barack Obama and David Letterman on Letterman's show during the 2012 presidential campaign.

President Barack Obama and David Letterman on Letterman's show during the 2012 presidential campaign. Photo: AFP

CBS says that during a recording of his show on Thursday Letterman said he had informed his bosses that he would step down in about a year's time, when his current contract expires.

Letterman, who will be 67 next week, began hosting the show on CBS in August 1993, after leaving the rival NBC network. He had begun his national television career in 1978 on the CBS variety series Mary, starring Mary Tyler Moore.

The news comes nearly two months after Jay Leno retired as host of NBC's The Tonight Show.

The ratings of both shows have fallen as rival TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel, who hosts ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, gained popularity with a younger audience.