Entertainment
David Letterman Weighs in on Cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show: ‘You Can’t Spell CBS Without BS’

NEED TO KNOW
- David Letterman reacted to CBS canceling Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show
- Letterman shared a YouTube video featuring a clip montage of him slamming CBS just four days after the network canceled the late-night talk show
- Letterman hosted The Late Show from 1993 until he handed the reins to Colbert in 2015
David Letterman is sounding off on the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show in a pointed way.
Letterman, 78, took to YouTube on July 21 to share a video montage of him roasting CBS during his more than 20 years of hosting The Late Show from 1993 to 2015.
The clips are all from Letterman’s The Late Show episodes, including moments from 1994, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 broadcasts, according to the video’s description.
“You can’t spell CBS without BS,” reads the caption.
While Letterman hasn’t directly addressed CBS canceling Colbert’s The Late Show, the timing of his YouTube video is being viewed as him supporting Colbert, 61.
Colbert, who succeeded Letterman as host of The Late Show, announced last week that the late-night staple was ending in May 2026.
“Before we start the show, I want you to know something that I found out just last night,” he said during his opening monologue of the July 17 episode. “Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending The Late Show in May.”
The crowd booed in response to the news, with Colbert saying he shared everyone’s sentiments.
“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show at CBS. I’m not being replaced,” he added. “This is all just going away. And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners.”
In a statement CBS shared with PEOPLE, the network called the move “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,” the statement continued.
The network expressed its “admiration, affection, and respect” for Colbert, which it added “made this agonizing decision even more difficult.”
CBS’ decision to end The Late Show came mere days after Colbert criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount.
During his July 14 episode, Colbert slammed Paramount for reaching a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump on July 3.
Trump had lodged a lawsuit against the company over what he alleged was a deceptively edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election on CBS News’ 60 Minutes.
Paramount is in the midst of a merger with the entertainment company Skydance, a move that would require sign-off from Trump’s administration to go through.
In the wake of The Late Show‘s cancellation, Colbert has been supported by the entertainment world at large.
Colbert’s fellow late-night hosts, including Jimmy Fallon (of NBC’s The Tonight Show), Seth Meyers (of NBC’s Late Night), Jon Stewart (of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show) and John Oliver (of HBO’s Last Week Tonight), all made unannounced cameos on the July 21 episode.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! host Jimmy Kimmel also voiced support for Colbert in an Instagram Stories post, writing, “Love you Stephen.” Kimmel also added, “F— you and all your Sheldons CBS.”
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Colbert’s tenure on The Late Show will end its 10-year run in May 2026. The Late Show debuted with Letterman as host in 1993.
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