David Letterman is reflecting on his Late Show legacy ahead of the program’s imminent demise.
The 79-year-old comedian was the original host of the late-night CBS show from 1993 to 2015 before passing the reins to Stephen Colbert.
CBS pulled the plug on the popular talk show last July, citing a “financial decision.” The final episode will air May 21.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Letterman was asked about his initial reaction to the news.
“Disbelief,” he said. “Then it seemed like a botched holdup. When we got the facts about the Ellison family [David Ellison, with backing from his father, Larry, bought CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global], I took great delight in referring to the principal as the Ellison Twins. I was later corrected and told it’s just one guy. I didn’t care and I still refer to him as twins. There’s also the old man, Larry. Is it in fact Larry?”
He then wondered, “What the hell have they done to Stephen [Colbert]? And I would say farther down on the list is your point: Wait a minute, this used to be my show.”
Letterman compared the feeling to driving through “your old neighborhood and realizing that where you used to live, they’re putting up an adult bookstore.”
While he acknowledged that time has “separated me from the genealogy of the show,” he stood by those impacted by the cancellation.
“If there’s outrage to be directed at management, either real or imagined, I’m all in. Let’s go,” he quipped.
The network announced it was axing The Late Show altogether last year. “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,” upper management said in a joint statement at the time.
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Reacting to the network’s decision, Letterman noted: “TV may be not the money machine it once was. 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 sudden cancellation came days after Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount, for reaching a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over accusations that its newsmagazine series 60 Minutes deceptively edited a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Outrage quickly followed, with critics questioning whether the decision was politically motivated rather than financial.
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