Sometimes, the only way to say goodbye to someone is to do it a little meta-like. That’s exactly what Late Night with Seth Meyers did to say goodbye to one of its cameramen.
At the end of the CORRECTIONS part of the episode, which is when the Late Night audience is sent home, and only the crew are left to chuckle at jokes, the show said goodbye to Buck Buchanan, the cameraman who has been a beloved member of the team since 2014 and will go off to join TODAY.
You’d often hear Buchanan laughing at the jokes during the CORRECTIONS sections, and Meyers would even often call him by name. It’s clear that he loved the job that he worked, but now we’re left wondering if everything is just a dream.
Late Night with Seth Meyers said goodbye to Buck Buchanan
At the end of the episode, Meyers held up a piece of paper that said, “Bye Bye Bucky.” There was a bit more to it, and you’d be able to read it by pausing the video below. It’s worth it.
After a while, the snow fell on the screen, and Meyers asked what was going on. That took us all to a snow globe with a mini Meyers at his desk inside, which Buchanan was holding, as he said goodbye to everyone who was watching and had watched the show. Then things took a turn, as he told everyone that none of this had ever been real, and he did it with such a creepy smile that you couldn’t help but laugh.
So, was it all real? Was it all part of Buck’s imagination? I guess we’ll need to wait until Monday to see if Late Night with Seth Meyers will be back.
It will be!
Who was Buck Buchanan on Late Night?
If you’re relatively new to late-night TV or don’t pay much attention to all of the shows, you may not even know how Buchanan is. He has been with Late Night from the very first episode, a loyal supporter who you will often hear laughing in the background, especially during CORRECTIONS.
He has also worked on The Amber Ruffin Show and has sometimes worked as the camera operator on TODAY. He now goes off to work on TODAY full-time. Since he has pulled double duty in the past, hopefully, he’ll be able to return to Late Night again in the future so we can hear his laughter in the background.
Late Night with Seth Meyers airs weeknights at 12:37/11:37c on NBC.