Jay Leno Breaks Silence on David Letterman's Retirement; “The Simpsons” Pay Tribute to “Late Show” Host

Just three days after TV's longest running late-night talk-show host David Letterman announced his retirement, his onetime rival Jay Leno has broken his silence regarding the 66 year old's departure.

"Oh well you know, he and I [are] gonna do "The Sunshine Boys" on Broadway, so we're very excited about that," he joked to "Extra."

The rivalry between Leno and Letterman began in the early '90s, when the former was chosen ahead of the latter to replace Johnny Carson on NBC's "Tonight Show" after the comedian retired in 1992. Their public feud only escalated when Letterman moved to CBS, igniting a ratings battle that lasted for over two decades.

But the pair finally buried their beef in 2010, when they appeared in a Super Bowl commercial alongside Oprah Winfrey, who also had a longstanding feud with Letterman.

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Leno later said on his show that the duo had finally put aside their differences -- a fact which Letterman confirmed on Howard Stern's radio show in November.

As for who Leno believes should fill Letterman's shoes? "I don't know a lot of good people out there," he said.

Despite leaving the "Tonight Show" in February, Leno doesn't see himself as a potential Letterman replacement. When asked if he would ever "fill in" for his former frenemy, the 63-year-old celeb replied, "There's nothing to fill in."

Letterman announced his retirement last week during Thursday night's taping of the "Late Show." The television host's final show will air in 2015.

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"The man who owns this network, Leslie Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance. And I phoned him just before the program, and I said 'Leslie, it's been great, you've been great, and the network has been great, but I'm retiring,'" Letterman said. "I just want to reiterate my thanks for the support from the network, all of the people who have worked here, all of the people in the theater, all the people on the staff, everybody at home, thank you very much. What this means now, is that Paul [Shaffer] and I can be married."

After the announcement, the audience treated the host to a standing ovation--and fans aren't the only ones saluting the celeb.

"The Simpsons" also paid tribute to Letterman in a new video clip which shows the famous animated family rushing to Letterman's studio for an interview, only to be shunned for their tardiness.

In a nod to the comedian's influence on the hit Fox series, the video ends with a message which reads, "We'll miss you, Dave."

So will we! And we'd love to see Leno as Letterman's final guest. 

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