David Letterman, the legendary creator of The Late Show, is sharply criticizing CBS for canceling the long-running late-night program — now hosted by Stephen Colbert — calling the decision “pure cowardice” and a betrayal of both Colbert and journalistic integrity.
During an appearance Friday on The Barbara Gaines Show, a podcast hosted by his longtime executive producer, Letterman rejected the network’s claim that the cancellation was driven by financial losses. He argued instead that CBS and its parent company Paramount mishandled the situation and Colbert’s legacy.
“This is pure cowardice,” Letterman said. “They didn’t do the right thing. They didn’t treat Stephen Colbert — the face of that network — with the respect he deserves.”
Letterman Connects Cancellation to Paramount’s Trump Settlement
Letterman also slammed Paramount’s recent $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over an edited 60 Minutes segment involving former Vice President Kamala Harris. He said the settlement showed the company had “decided they didn’t care about freedom of the press.”
The former host speculated that the move to cancel The Late Show may have been politically motivated. He suggested the incoming owners of Paramount — Skydance Media, led by David Ellison — wanted to eliminate potential friction with Trump before finalizing their acquisition.
“The Ellison twins, the Oracle boys — they don’t want any trouble involving freedom of speech or the press,” Letterman said. “They’d rather avoid controversy than get their hands dirty.”
A Strategic Purge?
Imagining how the conversation may have unfolded behind closed doors, Letterman painted a cynical picture of CBS executives attempting to preemptively silence Colbert, a vocal critic of President Trump.
“So they say, ‘What about that Colbert guy? He keeps going after the administration. We don’t want any trouble,’” Letterman hypothesized. “And CBS replies, ‘We’ll take care of it. Not only will we get rid of Colbert — we’ll kill the whole franchise. Problem solved.’”
Questions the Financial Excuse
CBS insiders have claimed The Late Show was losing around $40 million annually — a figure used to justify the cancellation. But Letterman wasn’t buying it.
“If they were really losing that much money, you’re telling me this just started yesterday?” he asked. “They were probably losing that much last month. Six weeks ago. Or maybe they weren’t losing money at all.”
Letterman, who launched The Late Show in 1993 and hosted it until 2015, emphasized that the show’s legacy — and Colbert’s contributions — deserved better.
“This isn’t just a bad business decision,” he said. “It’s a failure of leadership, of values, and of respect for both the audience and the people who built this show.”
CBS and Paramount have not responded to Letterman’s comments as of Saturday.
