The Late Show on CBS wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for David Letterman. The network created the late-night talk show just for him after a shocking betrayal at NBC. The comedian was Johnny Carson’s first choice to replace him on The Tonight Show. However, NBC went with Jay Leno instead. CBS snatched David Letterman up for his own late-night talk show. That torch was passed to Stephen Colbert in 2015.
However, CBS announced in 2025 that The Late Show was canceled and Stephen Colbert was out of a job. They claimed it was a financial decision, but many believe it was political. David Letterman broke his silence on the unexpected cancellation, calling CBS executives “lying weasels.” Keep reading to find out why.
David Letterman Shares Shocking Disrespect From CBS
CBS poached David Letterman from NBC in 1993. His late-night talk show was popular with viewers, but he decided to leave the show behind in 2015. He currently hosts My Next Guest Needs No Introduction on Netflix. Despite CBS giving him his own show, David Letterman doesn’t look kindly on the network.
He made a shocking claim about the disrespect he faced when he left the show. David Letterman was asked during an interview with The New York Times to share his fondest memory from his time at CBS. His answer was quite shocking.
“The band had barely quit playing and they dismantled the set and there were dumpsters on 53rd Street, and as I walked out of the building, I saw the detritus and the debris of my life at CBS being tossed into the dumpster,” he shared. Ouch! Stephen Colbert reportedly faced the same disrespect, with the network removing all signs of him from the studio weeks before his show’s last airdate.
Former Late Night Host Unloads On CBS After Colbert Exit, ‘Lying Weasels’
Stephen Colbert’s last episode airs on Thursday, May 21. The talk show host has packed his final episodes with heavy-hitting names, refusing to go out with a whimper. David Letterman shared his thoughts on CBS’s shocking decision to cancel the show and their reasoning. He blasted the suggestion that it was financially motivated.
The former Late Show host admitted that he isn’t privy to the network’s accounting books. But David Letterman has his own theory on why Stephen Colbert was canceled. “He was dumped because the people selling the network to Skydance said, “Oh no, there’s not going to be any trouble with that guy. We’re going to take care of the show. We’re just going to throw that into the deal. When will the ink on the check dry?”
He added, “I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying. Let me just add one other thing, Jason. They’re lying weasels.”
David Letterman made the shocking prediction that ABC and NBC’s late-night shows will end within a year. “We still have Jimmy. We still have Seth [Meyers]. It’s not completely dead on arrival, but I would be surprised if it lasts more than a year or so,” he said. Tell us in the comments if you agree with him.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
