David Letterman slammed “gutless” CBS over the “sad” cancellation of The Late Show — as well as his former employer’s cowering to the Trump administration amid the Skydance merger — in his first public comments since the network axed the late-night institution.
Earlier this month, CBS announced that The Late Show — which Letterman brought to air in August 1993 — would end its run in May 2026. While the network claimed the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” many, including Letterman, have speculated that the move was due to the pending merger between parent company Paramount and Skydance.
The $8 billion merger, which required approval from the Trump administration, is speculated as the motive behind CBS capitulating to the White House and settling the 60 Minutes lawsuit, as well as the true reason why the network canceled the late-night show hosted by Stephen Colbert, a vocal Trump critic. On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission approved the Paramount/Skydance merger.
In a video posted on Letterman’s official YouTube channel, the former Late Show host unleashed against the “gutless” CBS. “This is pure cowardice,” Letterman told former Late Show producers Barbara Gaines and co-host Mary Barclay in the video. “You’re telling me 60 Minutes, the pinnacle of journalistic excellence and integrity for decades … they decided, ‘Aw, we’re sorry, let us give you $20 million.’ I believe this is in the wake of that.”
(Letterman previously criticized the move with a montage of clips where he poked fun at CBS from his days hosting the late-night show.)
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Letterman added of the “sad” Late Show cancellation, “The idea that they’re hiding behind money — they’ve given [Colbert] another 10 months, that’s another huge chunk of money they’re gonna lose, according to them. I don’t think it was money… If they were losing that kind of money — you’re telling me losing this kind of money happened yesterday? I bet they were losing this money a month ago or six weeks ago. Or they were never losing that kind of money. They did not handle Stephen Colbert, the face of that network, in the way he deserves.”
In the aftermath of the Late Show cancellation, the late-night community and the television-watching public at large has rallied behind Colbert. “For Stephen, I love this, because he gets to be a martyr,” Letterman added.