David Letterman Keeps New Beard, Ditches Old Hairpiece

That's not Santa Claus coming down Santa Claus Lane! This jolly bearded fat man is former 'Late Show' host David Letterman, who's sure gotten hard to recognize since his retirement in April of 2015! It's only taken a year for the former funnyman to cultivate a whole new look!

The National ENQUIRER caught David enjoying a run while taking part of a now-permanent vacation on the Caribbean Islands! David may be working a new stern look, but he has a lot to laugh about — since CBS replaced him with Stephen Colbert, who's currently dying in the ratings! David was always in the #3 slot in late night, but he still had better numbers than the new guy!

David didn't waste any time giving up shaving, either. “Everybody hates it,” Letterman said last year, when his beard was really starting to grow. “My wife hates it. My son hates it. But it’s interesting. I’ve kind of developed a real creepy look with it that I’m sort of enjoying!"

"And I can tell that people are off-put by it," David added. "And the more people implore me to shave, the stronger my resolve is to not shave. I know it’s not a good-looking beard. I just don’t care!”

The facial hair might also be providing the celeb with some camouflage as he hangs out with regular people more often now. David seems determined to keep the beard growing, but these pics show that the comic — who often joked about wearing a toupee on his talk shows — isn't shy when it comes to shaving his head!

That's yet another new look for David. It has to help, since pretty much all of his old fans now know to watch out for a guy with a beard. David also seems to have gained a few pounds in his first year of retirement — but he seems determined to jog those off for yet another new look this year!