A little more than a week after Stephen Colbert announced the cancellation of The Late Show, the long-running talk show’s former host, David Letterman, finally broke his silence about the situation.
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In a video posted on his YouTube account on Friday, Letterman lashed out at CBS about the decision to end The Late Show after more than 30 years.
“I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this, they’re going to be embarrassed,” Letterman said to his former producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. “Because this is gutless.”
Days before the cancellation announcement, Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount, for agreeing to make a $16 million settlement during its lawsuit against President Trump.
The world leader filed the lawsuit against Paramount earlier this year. He accused CBS’s 60 Minutes of editing its interview with his 2024 presidential election opponent, Kamala Harris.
One week after the cancellation announcement, the CBB approved Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount.
President Trump previously shared his excitement about The Late Show’s cancellation. Colbert responded by telling the world leader to “Go f— yourself.”
David Letterman Shares What He Believes CBS Told Skydance About the ‘Late Show’ Cancellation Plans
David Letterman theorized what he thinks was discussed between CBS and Skydance regarding the cancellation of The Late Show.
“Hey boys, here’s what we’re going to do,” Letterman said while pretending to be CBS. “Not only are we gonna get rid of that guy, we’re gonna get rid of the entire franchise, so you don’t have to worry about another guy. It’s gone!”
David Letterman then said, “They did not handle Stephen Colbert, the face of that network, in the way he deserved to have been handled.”
“You’re telling me losing this kind of money happened yesterday?” Letterman asked while addressing CBS’s excuse that the cancellation was a financial decision. “I bet they were losing this kind of money a month ago, six weeks, or they have never been losing money. They’re giving him another 10 months, that’s another huge chunk of money they’re gonna lose according to them.”
Letterman then said he believed it all came down to the money that Skydance CEO David Ellison has. “I don’t think it was money,” he said. “I think it was all to make sure [ElIison was] solid spending Dad’s money.”
Referring to Ellison as a “bottom feeder,” Letterman said, “Go buy Dairy Queen or something – stay out of this business.”
“For Stephen, I love this,” Letterman pointed out. “He’s a martyr, good for him. If you listen carefully, you can hear them folding chairs at the Hall of Fame of his induction.”
Letterman went on to jokingly add, “I only wish this could’ve happened to me. This would’ve been great for me. Now we’ve all gotta kiss Stephen Colbert’s ring now.”
Letterman hosted The Late Show from 1993 to 2015. Colbert has been hosting the show since 2015.