David Letterman unloaded on CBS and Skydance on Friday for cancelling “The Late Show,” which he launched 32 years ago, saying the network had mistreated his successor, Stephen Colbert. In an interview posted to his YouTube channel,

David Letterman delivered a fiery rant against CBS and parent company Paramount for cancelling Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” calling the decision “gutless” and “pure cowardice” as he labeled his successor a martyr of the network.

Yes, CBS is canceling The Late Show franchise after more than three decades on the air. Stephen took over the show in 2015, and it was originally hosted by David Letterman. The Late Show will end in May 2026, CBS executives announced on July 17, 2025.

It’s the end of an era, because The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS has ben canceled. And to be clear, no, Stephen’s not being replaced—the entire late night show has been axed.

As CBS prepares to retire its The Late Show franchise, Fox News’s late-night television show Gutfeld! recorded dominating second-quarter ratings. On Thursday, CBS, whose parent company is Paramount Global,

Fans, political figures and fellow late-night hosts seemed stunned Thursday night when comedian Stephen Colbert announced that CBS would be ending The Late Show in May 2026, with many questioning what pushed the network and its parent company, Paramount Global, to make the decision.

In a shocking turn of events, CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and the reasoning behind the decision is more confusing than ever.

Jon Stewart pulled no punches Monday over CBS’s cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show. During Monday night’s broadcast of “The Daily Show,” Stewart’s first since Colbert on Thursday shared that “The Late Show” would not return beyond May 2026, the late-night veteran lambasted CBS for canceling the program.