Posted on 07/26/2025 3:50:55 AM PDT by dennisw
David Letterman has backed his successor Stephen Colbert and suggested CBS canceled The Late Show because he was 'always shooting his mouth off' about Donald Trump.
The 78-year-old late-night legend created The Late Show in 1993 after NBC denied him the chance to succeed Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.
Colbert took over for Letterman in 2015 and took the show in a decidedly more political direction but despite leading in the ratings, a shrinking late-night landscape led CBS to claim losses in the tens of millions of dollars.
In his first comment on the show's cancellation, Letterman noted that his show was more about political satire than his version of The Late Show but was still complimentary, calling the decision by CBS 'pure cowardice.'
'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this, they’re going to be embarrassed, because this is gutless,' he told former Late Show producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay.
Letterman then said that he believed CBS was acting on behalf of Skydance CEO and incoming Paramount CEO David Ellison to make their lives easier after they acquire Paramount, taking away a constant critic of Trump.
'Hey boys, here’s what we’re gonna do: 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,' Letterman said.
The long-time talk show host noted CBS's $16million settlement with the Trump administration over a deceptively edited interview with election rival Kamala Harris, which Colbert had previously mocked as a 'big fat bribe.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
He owns the production company. Or did.
Dave was kind of funny when he was on NBC on The Late Show, but I never watched him on CBS and he became unfunny as time went on. With a very few exceptions he was always #2 behind Leno. NBC did not give Letterman the Tonight Show because they knew he wasn’t the right host.
No doubt. To the left it’s an unprecedented constitutional crisis when a business called CBS cancels a show that’s losing them $40M/year.
He struck it rich when he was producing Everybody Hates Raymond.
I can’t imagine his Late Show or Letterman Show having much syndication value.
The funny thing is the Johnny Carson show is on a few networks and even though the shows are old people still watch them and find them funny.
At the end, he was becoming increasingly political. He retired before Trump became President. By then, he would have caught TDS.
Thanks for that. It explains Letterman's "outrage".
It's also one more example of a Leftist hiding behind someone else using taxpayer money like USAID to spread their agenda.
Hmmm...
Like watching a vampire claw its way out of the grave...
Someone needs to throw holy water on him, then stake him...
There were 3 other talk shows that were cancelled by cbs yet no outcry from the democrats / Letterman about it as they were canceled because they were costing too much just like the Colbert show.
“Late Late Show” in 2023. James Corden host. 8 seasons.
CBS Canceled ‘After Midnight’ which replaced Late Late Show, host Taylor Tomlinson. Last show in June after just 3 seasons.
CBS canceled the daytime talk show “The Talk” December 20, 2024. The reasons cited for its cancellation included years of declining ratings. Lasted 15 seasons.
4 shows cancelled by CBS due to high cost and low ratings.
I never saw the Palin thing. But yeah, I remember him when he was funny. I suppose I’m like a German who was stranded on a desert island in 1936 and just now being rescued, assumes Hitler went on to become a great leader in Germany.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.