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David Letterman’s brutal six-word swipe at CBS over Stephen Colbert’s Late Show cancellation

BBG News

On Monday, David Letterman expressed his backing for Stephen Colbert via a statement posted on his YouTube channel, following the announcement of CBS’s decision to terminate Colbert’s show.

In the early hours of the morning, the retired figure, aged 78, shared a lengthy video (over 20 minutes) criticizing the broadcasting company that employed him from 1993 until 2015.

I proudly captioned the carefully selected snippet, ‘You can’t miss CBS without a dose of BS.’ With all the buzz surrounding the move as potentially being politically charged, I couldn’t help but share this compilation of jabs I took at the network throughout the years. From 1994 to 2013, my eight favorite jokes are a testament to our long-standing relationship – or should I say rivalry?

On Monday, Colbert came back for his initial full broadcast following the previous week’s declaration that CBS was ending The Late Show. He welcomed some friendly late-night co-hosts, made a jab at cancel culture, and delivered a sharp comment aimed at President Donald Trump.

The extent of cancel culture has become excessive.” The crowd, excitedly supporting him, cheered and repeated his name.

CBS, along with its parent company Paramount Global, announced that the termination of the ‘Late Show’ in May is solely due to financial reasons.

It’s worth noting that the announcement followed closely on the heels of Stephen Colbert’s strong criticism of Paramount for settling Trump’s lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, to the tune of $16 million. This point was brought up by Colbert in his show on Monday night.

Colbert, famous for his witty criticisms of the former Republican president, acknowledged that over the weekend, it dawned on him that they had effectively ended our program. However, he pointed out that they had committed an error – they failed to eliminate him.

At this moment, he openly declared his thoughts about Donald Trump, and here they are: I find him unappealing. It seems he lacks the necessary abilities to hold the presidency. As his crowd roared in approval, Colbert voiced these sentiments aloud.

He read aloud a part of a Trump post on social media, expressing his delight that an allegedly untalented individual like Colbert had lost his job.

Colbert retorted angrily, ‘How presumptuous of you, sir. Could someone with no real talent come up with such a clever satirical remark as this?’ The camera then zoomed in on Colbert, who seemed to say, ‘I don’t know you,’ but the word was censored and his lips were blurred.

Colbert, commenting on CBS’ reasoning for his dismissal, stated, “If it’s solely about money because the show ranks number one in ratings, then it seems puzzling. Many people, including the families of my team, are perplexed by this.

Expressing it more casually, he seemed a bit frustrated while mentioning that certain news articles over the weekend had spread word about an alleged financial loss of Late Show, estimated between $40 million and $50 million annually. The decline in ad revenue for late-night TV broadcasts has been significant, as young male viewers tend to favor streaming or other activities instead.

Colbert remarked, “It seems we might be in line for a $24 million loss. But I can’t imagine where Paramount would have allocated the additional $16 million, if at all.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I had the delightful opportunity to bring together the unique pairing of “Weird Al” Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda for a lively rendition of Coldplay’s classic hit, “Viva La Vida.

At a recent Coldplay concert, a couple’s antics were subtly echoed by Late Show cameras, which swept through the audience to highlight some sympathetic companions – late-night personalities Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, and John Oliver, alongside Adam Sandler, Anderson Cooper, and Andy Cohen.

On The Daily Show, which is part of Paramount, Stewart passionately defended a friend and former colleague and argued that it was pointless to appease Donald Trump in any way, let alone by discontinuing programs that have significantly contributed to the company’s worth throughout the years.

Stewart asserted, “Now isn’t the time to back down.” He continued emphatically, “I won’t back down. I have no intention of leaving. I believe this.

In his own program, Colbert momentarily switched to a more somber tone to acknowledge those who’ve shown their backing towards him following the recent announcement.

Some individuals view this program ending as a grim omen, but while I appreciate my own show greatly, I don’t entirely concur. Here at the ‘Late Show’, we’ve never considered our role to be about changing anything other than your mood at day’s end, and I believe that’s a meaningful objective.

He went on to say, ‘Alternatively, it’s because of the shift in emotions experienced the following day, as you watched on your phone, that traditional television is losing its appeal.’

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2025-07-23 06:18

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