8 photos that show how much David Letterman is loving retirement

CBS, Getty

A lot changes when you leave your job for good: the freedom to choose what to do with most of your hours, your mental focus.

And then there are the visual changes. David Letterman has proven a man's look can change a lot in retirement, as he's stepped out since leaving CBS's "Late Show" with a huge, bushy beard and, more recently, what appears to be a shaved head.

Letterman also looks distinctly happy. Following his 33-year career in late-night hosting, he's been exercising by the beach in the Caribbean and visiting his hometown. This is a man who looks like he doesn't have a care in the world.

See how David Letterman has been living it up in retirement below:

David Letterman's last day as host of the "Late Show" was May 20, 2015. Celebrities including Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin showed up for the occasion, and Letterman wished his replacement Stephen Colbert well on the gig.

Days later, Letterman attended the Indy 500 in his hometown of Indianapolis. You can see the stubble of a man who has defiantly quit shaving.

Letterman joined his old musical sidekick from the "Late Show," Paul Shaffer, for the annual Little Kids Rock Benefit in October. The beard was already getting pretty bushy.