Ancient Late show The host David Letterman made his first direct comments on the cancellation of the CBS late evening franchise – and they are not positive.
Speaking with his former executive producer, Barbara Gaines, in a YouTube video on Friday, Letterman called the ax of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert “Pure Lowardice” and declared that he did not believe in the official CBS line that the decision concerned purely the economy (the program would have become a monetary loserie for the network).
“The idea they hide behind the money – they gave [Colbert] Another 10 months, it is another large part of the money they will lose, according to them, “explains Letterman in the video (watch it in whole below).” I don’t think it’s money. I think that was everything to make sure [Skydance head David Ellison, set to become CEO of Paramount when the two companies’ merger closes in early August] were daddy’s money to spend solid.
(During a large part of the video, Letterman calls Ellison like “The Ellison Twins” and “The Oracle Boys”, as in the software giant led by Larry Ellison, David Ellison’s father. Co-animator Mary Barclay corrects him at some point, noting that David Ellison is not a twin, but he continues with the bit.)
“If they lost this kind of money – you tell me that this kind of money occurred yesterday?” Letterman continues. “I bet they lost this money a month ago or six weeks ago. Or they never lost this kind of money. They did not manage Stephen Colbert, the face of this network, as he deserves. ”
Letterman’s comments are his first to directly approach the cancellation of The late showthat he created on CBS in 1993 and organized until 2015. Colbert announced the cancellation of his program on July 17, although The late show will continue throughout the 2025-26 season will continue. Letterman’s YouTube channel, where his conversation with Gaines is published earlier this week, shared a collection of Late show Clips with Letterman Fusseur Brass.
Letterman calls the “sad” decision, although he jokes saying that it could be good for Colbert: “For Stephen, I love it, because he becomes a martyr.”
He also tells the Late show CBS cancellation regulating a Donald Trump trial against 60 minutes For 16 million dollars compared to objections of the staff of the show.
“It’s pure cowardice,” says Letterman. “You tell me 60 minutesThe ultimate in journalistic excellence and integrity for decades … They have decided: “AW, we are sorry, let us give you $ 20 million”. I think it’s following that.
Letterman ends with a last blow on CBS and Paramount Management. “I think that one day, if not today, the inhabitants of CBS who have manipulated and managed it will be embarrassed,” he says. “It’s no tripe.”
