The Late Show legend David Letterman has slammed CBS’s “gutless” axing of his successor, Stephen Colbert, and the entire franchise.
Letterman, 78, hosted The Late Show from 1993 to 2015. He was replaced by Colbert, who has remained at the helm until recently, when the network announced last week that its popular late-night talk show would be ending in 2026. The network cited costs for ending the show.
“10 years ago, I quit and left, and then Stephen Colbert comes along and pretty quickly established himself as a precise, crisp, witty political satirist. And often, his target has been the current administration,” Letterman told former Late Show producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay in a recent YouTube video posted to his channel.
“And based on that and just the overall entertainment quota of the show, it drew a great audience, and people ... always [looked] forward to political satire from Stephen Colbert. [He] was very good at it for 10 years, and I think became the face of the network.”
Letterman addressed how CBS and its parent company, Paramount, were up for sale. A merger with Skydance was announced last week. Letterman surmised that Colbert's firing was so the $8 billion merger would be approved by the Trump administration. Skydance is owned by David Ellison, the son of billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison.
Letterman stated that Colbert, a noted Trump critic, was cut to appease the president. Trump also recently reached a $16 million settlement with Paramount over allegations that its news program, 60 Minutes, deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 presidential rival, Kamala Harris.
“So the CBS people say, ‘Hey boys, here’s what I’m gonna do. Not only are we gonna get rid of that guy [Colbert], we’re gonna get rid of the entire franchise so you don’t have to worry about another guy,’” he quipped.
While CBS has maintained that Colbert’s firing was a “financial decision” and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” Letterman was skeptical.
“If they were losing this kind of money, you’re telling me losing this kind of money happened yesterday? I bet they were losing this kind of money a month ago, or six weeks ago — or they have never been losing money,” he suggested.
“They did not do the correct thing; they did not handle Stephen Colbert, the face of that network, in the way he deserves to have been handled,” he continued.
“The fact that they killed the franchise and told Stephen to go,” he said. “Now, for Stephen, I love this. He is a martyr. Good for him.”
Letterman went on to celebrate Colbert’s legacy, saying: “If you listen carefully, you can hear them unfolding chairs at the [TV] Hall of Fame for his induction.
“And they’ve given [Colbert] another 10 months. Well, that’s another huge chunk of money they’re gonna lose, according to them,” he added. “I don’t think it was money. I think it was all to make sure [David Ellison was] solid spending dad’s money.”
Calling the situation “sad,” he noted, adding that it indicated the downfall of the freedom of the press.
“This is pure cowardice,” he said. “I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and ‘handled’ this are gonna be embarrassed because this is gutless.”
The Independent has contacted CBS and Paramount for comment.
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