David Letterman Slams CBS as Lying Weasels for Canceling The Late Show
Late-night icon David Letterman has once again come to the defense of Stephen Colbert, whose beloved show “The Late Show” is set to conclude later this month following CBS’s announcement in July 2025 that the program would be coming to an end. While CBS claims the decision was purely financial, Letterman expressed skepticism in an interview with The New York Times, suggesting that there may be more to the story.
According to Letterman, Colbert was essentially let go because the network executives selling CBS to Skydance wanted to ensure a smooth transition without any potential conflicts. Letterman bluntly stated, “They’re lying weasels,” implying that there may have been ulterior motives behind the cancellation of “The Late Show.”
The timing of the show’s cancellation coincided with Paramount’s acquisition by David Ellison’s Skydance, which was awaiting approval from the FCC and President Donald Trump at the time. Trump, known for his disdain for Colbert and late-night television in general, may have played a role in the decision to pull the plug on the show to appease the administration and facilitate the merger with Skydance.
Letterman, who hosted “The Late Show” from 1993 until he passed the torch to Colbert in 2015, has been a vocal supporter of his successor. In a recent interview on his YouTube channel, Letterman criticized CBS for what he called “pure cowardice” in handling Colbert and the show’s cancellation.
“They did not do the correct thing,” Letterman remarked. “They did not handle Stephen Colbert — the face of that network — in the way he deserves to have been handled.”
This is not the first time Letterman has spoken out in defense of Colbert, and it’s clear that he believes there is more to the story behind the show’s abrupt end. As “The Late Show” prepares to bid farewell to its audience, the controversy surrounding its cancellation continues to raise questions about the true motivations behind CBS’s decision.
