American television host and comedian David Letterman is not okay with the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, and he is expressing his disappointment by taking a dig at the network behind the decision.
David Letterman takes subtle aim at CBS
While David Letterman hasn't spoken out specifically about the cancellation yet, he is dropping hints. He is using his past comments on CBS to reflect his thoughts after The Late Show was cancelled by the network.
On July 21, David Letterman, 78, took to YouTube to share a video montage of him roasting CBS during his more than 20 years of hosting The Late Show from 1993 to 2015. The clips are all from David Letterman's The Late Show episodes, including moments from 1994, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 broadcasts, according to the video's description.
"You can't spell CBS without BS," reads the caption.
In a dig from 2003, David Letterman joked that CBS had not made it clear that the Late Show had been on air for so long. “They don’t know and they don’t care … I don’t want to get in trouble here, but I’m gonna call the CBS switchboard and see if they know how long we’ve been on air. Maybe I’m overreacting,” he said.
The Letterman video comes just four days after CBS announced that it will end The Late Show due to financial reasons.
{{/usCountry}}The Letterman video comes just four days after CBS announced that it will end The Late Show due to financial reasons.
{{/usCountry}}Stephen Colbert's show to go off air
Last week, it was announced that Stephen Colbert’s late-night show is coming to an end after 10 seasons. On July 17, CBS announced its plan to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after the next TV season, through a statement, as per NY Post. The network claimed it was “purely a financial decision.”
“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show’ franchise in May of 2026,” CBS executives’ statement read, adding, “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.” Stephen Colbert took over the show in September 2015 following David Letterman‘s departure.
"Before we start the show, I want you to know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the Late Show in May," said Stephen during his opening monologue last week.
He added, "It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away. And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners.”