David Letterman recently accused CBS of lying about the reason they canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In an interview, the comedian, who hosted the predecessor to the outgoing late-night talk show between 1993 and 2015, shared his reaction to the cancellation and what he believed was the truth about it. Notably, it will air its final episode on May 21. Following this, its regular timeslot will be taken over by Byron Allen’s half-hour comedy talk series, Comics Unleashed, starting May 22.
David Letterman slams CBS in new interview
David Letterman recently sat down for an interview where he addressed The Late Show’s cancellation by CBS. He also gave his blunt opinion on the network’s reasoning.
He spoke to The New York Times about CBS’s reported motive behind the cancellation. Citing “financial reasons,” Letterman said that they have never shared the books with him. The comedian pointed out how “digital communication” and “streaming platforms” have acquired television. “TV may be not the money machine it once was,” he added. “On the other hand, what about the humanity for Stephen and the humanity of people who love him, and the humanity for people who still enjoyed that 11:30 respite?”
The Worldwide Pants Incorporated founder subsequently shared what he believed to be the real reason behind The Late Show’s cancellation. He claimed that CBS’s sellers told the buyers at the time of the transaction that Colbert would no longer be a problem. “I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying,” he said. “Let me just add one other thing, Jason. They’re lying weasels.”
Letterman also revealed that he was initially in “disbelief” when he found out the late-night show had been canceled. He added that he later saw it as a “botched holdup.”
He then recalled how he thought David Ellison — who bought CBS’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, and whom the former mockingly called “the Ellison twins” — was haphazardly spending his father, Oracle founder Larry’s, money.
“Then I wondered: What the hell have they done to Stephen [Colbert]?” He continued. “And I would say farther down on the list is your point: Wait a minute, this used to be my show. It’s like driving by your old neighborhood and realizing that where you used to live, they’re putting up an adult bookstore.”
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on Mandatory.