David Letterman, the 79-year-old former CBS late-night titan, believes the format that defined his career and hosted generations of viewers is approaching its end. In an interview published Tuesday, Letterman expressed doubt that the nightly talk show will persist beyond the next year or so, even as Stephen Colbert's version of The Late Show prepares to air its final episode on May 21.
Letterman said he was "surprised" to learn that Colbert's show had been cancelled at all. CBS announced the cancellation in July, citing purely financial reasons amid what executives described as "a challenging backdrop in late night."
Yet the veteran host acknowledged the format's peculiar resilience. "It's not completely dead on arrival, but I would be surprised if it lasts more than a year or so," Letterman said. "But it's such an easy soothing format that it's got to stay on." When pressed on the future of specific shows like those hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers, Letterman refined his position: the format itself won't disappear, he suggested, because "it's just the best. It's humans talking to humans."
The cancellation of The Late Show marked the end of a 33-year run on CBS. Colbert took the helm in 2015 after Letterman's own 22-year tenure. Industry observers have noted that while advertising revenue in late-night programming has declined in recent years, the timing and circumstances of the cancellation raised questions beyond finances. The announcement came as CBS parent company Paramount was finalizing a multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance that required Trump administration approval. Colbert has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump across both presidencies.
The decision also followed Colbert's public criticism of Paramount for settling a lawsuit with Trump over claims that CBS News had deceptively edited a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. When asked about CBS's financial explanation for the cancellation, Letterman acknowledged the broader industry pressures. "All of television seems to have been nicked by digital communication and streaming platforms," he said. "TV may be not the money machine it once was."
But Letterman's sympathy lay elsewhere. He questioned CBS's treatment of Colbert, his staff, and the viewers who tuned in each night at 11:30. "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?" Letterman said. He went further, suggesting the real reason had little to do with spreadsheets. "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," Letterman said. "I'm just going to go on record as saying: They're lying."
CBS responded to Letterman's charges by insisting to the Times that the cancellation was "unequivocally a financial decision."
Author James Rodriguez: "Letterman's bluntness about the real motives here cuts through corporate spin in a way few former network executives will risk."
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