Don’t read this if you plan to watch Letterman’s last show tonight

David Letterman closed out his 33 years as a late-night host on Wednesday with a star-studded finale that ended with his favorite band the Foo Fighters playing “Everlong,” the song that welcomed the host back after his heart bypass surgery in 2000. The last “Late Show With David Letterman” ran 20 minutes over its usual hourlong run-time. The late afternoon taping ran long, but CBS executives agreed to allow the run-over, according to a spokesman for the host. Based on clips made available in advance of its 11:35 p.m. ET airing, the show opened with a video of President Gerald Ford giving his 1974 speech after Richard Nixon’s resignation with the line: “Our long national nightmare is over.” The famous line was repeated by former White House occupants Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush and finally President Barack Obama, who appeared with Letterman on tape. Letterman made his entrance the same way he has thousands of nights before. His silhouetted figure was seen running at the rear of the stage before he walked out from behind the set. As has been the case for months since he announced his retirement, there was thunderous applause from the crowd at the Ed Sullivan Theater. The top 10 list - a signature routine on both of Letterman’s late-night programs on CBS and NBC - was delivered by a lineup of luminaries that included Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Peyton Manning, Tina Fey and Barbara Walters. No. 1 on the list of “Top 10 Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say to David Letterman” was read by Bill Murray: “Dave, I’ll never have the money I owe you.” Letterman’s last monologue was filled with the self-deprecating humor that made him a favorite with late-night audiences and an inspiration to a generation of comics. “I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “It’s beginning to look like I’m not going to get the ’Tonight’ show.” He joked of post-retirement plans. “I hope to become the new face of Scientology,” he said. He also pointed out that “when I screw up now, and Lord knows I will be screwing up, I’ll have to go on somebody else’s show to apologize.” He also introduced a fake clip from the game show “Wheel of Fortune” in which the answer to the puzzle was: “Good Riddance to David Letterman.” Clips of past shows included Letterman’s routines with children from over the years and a 1996 remote in which he worked the drive-in window at a Taco Bell. Letterman ended the show with thanks to his staff and his family. His wife, Regina Lasko, and their son, Harry, were shown in the audience at the theater.