As long-time fans settled in to watch the final episode of the Late Show with David Letterman, I'm sure we were all expecting surprise appearances from celebrities who wanted to honor the talk show host for his many contributions to comedy. What we may not have been expecting, however, was an appearance from a certain famous family. No, not the Kardashians — the Simpsons. During the host's final monologue, there was a brief gag in which we saw the characters from The Simpsons watching Letterman, and essentially having the same conversation many viewers are likely having at home.
The clip began with a close-up on Homer laughing hysterically, but zoomed out to show a more serious Marge. She talked about how Letterman has been on the air for 33 years, remarking on how when it started, Bart and Lisa were just kids, and Maggie was just a baby. Wait a second... The camera then panned out even further showing all three children, young as ever, sitting on the floor in front of the couch, watching the Late Show with their parents. It was the perfect tribute, because it showed just how important Letterman has become to his audience in those 33 years, while maintaining the humor you'd expect from The Simpsons.
But this isn't the first time the FOX animated series paid tribute to Letterman. After the host announced he was leaving his show, he was featured in a couch gag released online, in which the Simpsons end up on the couch from his set. It was sweet, however, I prefer Wednesday night's tribute, because in all likelihood, many viewers out there watching the final episode are feeling something similar to Marge. People have grown up watching Letterman, and some have watched their children grow up with it too. The 68-year-old leaving late night TV is truly the end of an era, and though unlike the Simpsons, we may continue to grow without him, things certainly will never be the same.
Image: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS
