ENTERTAINMENTDavid Letterman Brands CBS 'Lying Weasels' Over Late Show Cancelation
Late-night icon David Letterman branded CBS 'lying weasels' in their reasoning for canceling Stephen Colbert's highly rated show.
May 6 2026, Published 11:56 a.m. ET
David Letterman called CBS owners "lying weasels" for claiming that the cancelation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was purely a financial decision in a May interview with The New York Times.
The late-night icon expressed disbelief at the network's reasoning, suggesting that the move was intended to smooth the path for Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance by removing a controversial host to the incoming administration.
The show was canceled just three days after Stephen Colbert called a $16 million settlement between Paramount (CBS' parent company) and President Donald Trump a "big fat bribe." The settlement resolved a lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Trump's 2024 challenger, former vice president Kamala Harris.
David Letterman called CBS 'lying weasels.'
Letterman, who hosted The Late Show from 1993 to 2015, did not mince words regarding the network's management.
While CBS claimed the decision was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," Letterman stated, "I'm just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying ... They're lying weasels.”
"They don’t share the books with me. All of television seems to have been nicked by digital communication, streaming platforms, and on and on. TV may not be the money machine it once was," Letterman explained. "On the other hand, what about the humanity for Stephen [Colbert] and the humanity of people who love him and the humanity for people who still enjoyed that 11:30 respite?"
Letterman claimed Stephen Colbert was 'dumped.'
Letterman alleged that Colbert was "dumped" to ensure there would be no trouble with regulatory approval for the Skydance deal, stating the network owners wanted to show that "there's not going to be any trouble with that guy.”
He compared the feeling of the show being canceled to "driving by your old neighborhood and realizing that where you used to live, they're putting up an adult bookstore.”
"Then I wondered: What the h--- have they done to Stephen [Colbert]?" Letterman said. "And I would say farther down on the list is your point: Wait a minute, this used to be my show. It’s like driving by your old neighborhood and realizing that where you used to live, they’re putting up an adult bookstore."
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The final episode of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is scheduled to air on Thursday, May 21.
The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is scheduled to air on Thursday, May 21.
Starting May 22, CBS will replace the time slot with Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed, a move expected to be more lucrative for the network as Allen Media Group pays for the airtime.
Despite his anger at the network, Letterman noted that Allen's show format is actually a "pretty good idea." He described Comics Unleashed as "seated stand-up," where comics sit in a panel and talk about "funny stuff."
Stephen Colbert will co-write a new film after his late-night show wraps.
Colbert himself has previously joked about the situation, noting they are likely the "first number-one show to ever get canceled."
In his new life, the comedian will be co-writing a new Lord of the Rings film, tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, alongside his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, and original trilogy writer Philippa Boyens.
Colbert noted that while he couldn't handle the project while hosting daily, the cancelation of his show means he will be "free starting this summer" to focus entirely on writing.
