David Letterman and Seth Meyers Reflect on 40 Years of Late Night

This next guest needs no introduction... On Tuesday night, David Letterman celebrated the 40th anniversary of Late Night with a lengthy sit-down with Seth Meyers, the current host of NBC's venerable program. The mood was light as Letterman reflected on his decades-long career, from the short-lived The David Letterman Show, which attempted to bring late-night sensibilities to daytime, to his current gig on Netflix. "Honest to goodness, if it weren't for your kind invitation, I would not have known that this is the 40th anniversary of the beginning of what you now do as the show," he told Meyers. "So, thank you again for that."

Letterman also shared some of his favorite memories from his Late Night days, including a mishap involving animal expert Jack Hanna and an ornery beaver. The TV legend was shocked to learn that Meyers doesn't "have an animal guy," though Meyers admitted his winding story about Hanna is "quite a sales pitch" for NBC. Bring back the Late Night animal guy, NBC!

Late Night with Seth Meyers airs weeknights at 12:35 AM ET on NBC.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.