David Letterman Calls CBS 'Lying Weasels' Over Late Show Cancellation

David Letterman, who hosted "The Late Show" for decades before Stephen Colbert took over, accused CBS executives of lying about the reasons for canceling the program.

CBS announced last year, ahead of a merger that placed its parent company under new ownership, that "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" would end with its final episode on May 21. The network called it "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night." Letterman expressed disbelief to The New York Times upon learning the news about the show Colbert inherited from him in 2015.

He said CBS does not share its books with him but insisted the network has not been truthful. "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?’ I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying," Letterman told the Times. "Let me just add one other thing. They’re lying weasels."

CBS reiterated to the Times that the move was financial. Letterman acknowledged that digital communication and streaming platforms have hurt all of television, and that TV may no longer be the money machine it once was. Still, he suggested CBS could have kept the show going.

"On the other hand, 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?" he said.

Letterman said time has distanced him from any sense of ownership over the show. "If there’s outrage to be directed at management, either real or imagined, I’m all in. Let’s go," he added. "It’s like driving by your old neighborhood and realizing that where you used to live, they’re putting up an adult bookstore."

Skydance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CBS plans to lease Colbert's old time slot to Byron Allen's "Comics Unleashed," a comedy talk show. Allen Media Group will pay for the airtime, not CBS. "They don’t want to spend any money, so they’re going to make money," Letterman told Barbara Gaines, a former producer on his program. "They charge Byron Allen some reasonable price. He sells all the advertising for his ‘Comics Unleashed,’ and it’ll be, I think, 90 minutes or two hours of comics talking about funny stuff."