David Letterman Calls CBS Owners ‘Lying Weasels’ for Blaming “The Late Show” Cancellation on Finances: ‘To Hell with Skydance’

NEED TO KNOW

• David Letterman is responding to CBS’ statement that canceling The Late Show was “purely a financial decision”

• In a new conversation with The New York Times, the former late-night host called network owners “lying weasels”

• “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 of current host Stephen Colbert

David Letterman has a message for CBS as The Late Show comes to an end.

The former host of the late-night program, 79, called out the network in a new interview with The New York Times, revealing that he doesn’t believe the show was pulled due to finances.

During the July 17, 2025, episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, current host Stephen Colbert announced that the talk show was coming to an end after over 30 years on air.

In a statement at the time, CBS called it “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” The Late Show will air its final episode on Thursday, May 21.

“They don’t share the books with me,” Letterman told the Times in the conversation published on Tuesday, May 5. “All of television seems to have been nicked by digital communication and streaming platforms and on and on. TV may be not the money machine it once was. 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?”

Stephen Colbert and David Letterman on Nov. 21, 2023
Credit: The Late Show/Instagram

Letterman then argued that Colbert, 61, was “dumped” by CBS for another reason.

“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,'” Letterman said.

“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,” Letterman adding, referencing writer Jason Zinoman.

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In response to Letterman’s latest comments, a spokesperson for CBS told PEOPLE the cancellation was “unequivocally a financial decision.”

In its original explanation for the move, CBS told PEOPLE in July 2025 that canceling the Late Show was purely about finances. “It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” the statement read. “Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas.”

David Letterman on Aug. 8, 2025
Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty

CBS’ decision to axe the late-night program arrived days after Colbert criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount, during his July 14 episode for its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, who alleged that CBS News’ 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount was also in the middle of a merger with the entertainment company Skydance at the time, a move that eventually required approval from the Trump administration.

Elsewhere in his conversation with the Times, Letterman shared his thoughts on the current state of the late-night format.

“We still have Jimmy [Kimmel]. 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. “But it’s such an easy soothing format that it’s got to stay on.”

Letterman added, “I don’t think it’ll ever go away because it’s just the best. It’s humans talking to humans.”

Letterman also brought up David Ellison, now CEO of Paramount Skydance, who he said was “willy-nilly spending the old man’s money,” referring to his father, billionaire Larry Ellison. “So that was what ran through my head,” Letterman recalled of learning of the cancellation. “Then I wondered: What the hell have they done to Stephen [Colbert]? And I would say farther down on the list is your point: Wait a minute, this used to be my show.”

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.”

“To hell with CBS. To hell with Skydance. To hell with the Winslow twins or whoever the hell these guys are. But Byron [Allen], he’ll still be providing comedy in that time period. I think that’s a valuable bit of resolution here,” Letterman said of Colbert’s time slot replacement, Byron Allen’s comedy talk show, Comics Unleashed.

The final episode of Colbert’s show is scheduled for Thursday, May 21. Until then, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weekdays on CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET.

Read the original article on People