Letterman Accuses CBS of Dishonesty on Colbert Cancellation

David Letterman accused CBS executives of dishonesty over the cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in a recent interview with The New York Times, claiming the decision stemmed from the network's merger with Skydance Media rather than financial difficulties.

Letterman, who hosted the CBS late-night program from 1993 to 2015 before Colbert took over, called CBS leaders "lying weasels." He argued that Colbert was "dumped" as part of negotiations to sell Paramount Global, CBS's parent company, to Skydance in an $8 billion deal completed last year. "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. He acknowledged industry challenges from streaming services but questioned the network's priorities. "TV may not be 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?"

CBS announced the show's end last July, with Colbert...