Time has not tempered David Letterman‘s distaste for CBS’s decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ending the 33-year-old late-night franchise he founded in 1993.
Last July, in the immediate wake of Late Show being unceremoniously handed an end date, Letterman called his former employers “gutless” and “cowards” for how they handled Stephen Colbert’s ouster.
Now, nine months later in a new Q&A with the New York Times, Letterman is doubling down—calling out CBS on its justification for jettisoning The Late Show.
Though CBS maintains that Colbert’s cancellation was strictly a financial decision, citing declining ad revenues across the late-night landscape, Letterman begs to differ.
“He was dumped,” Letterman opined to the Times, “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?’”
In other words, “I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying,” Letterman asserted. “Let me just add one other thing….They’re lying weasels.”
A veteran of the late-night game, Letterman is not oblivious to the challenges facing the industry. “All of television seems to have been nicked by digital communication and streaming platforms and on and on,” he said, noting that traditional broadcast TV is “not the money machine it once was.”
Indeed, upon cancelling The Late Show, CBS said it was abandoning original late-night programming. Though the network has since indicated that it’s actively considering lower-cost original programming, concepts, for now it has essentially “sold” Colbert’s 11:35 p.m. hour to Byron Allen, whose Comics Unleashed panel show will move up an hour to fill the void, with Allen selling the ad time to sponsors himself.
Letterman likened that leasing of time slots to the self-storage facilities that “didn’t used to exist” but now pepper the landscape.
“You used to have to be responsible for your own stuff. But now everywhere you look there’s warehouses and rental facilities. And I think that’s not a bad parallel for what’s happening in network television,” he told the Times. “We’re just going to lease it to Byron Allen and he’ll make pennies on every dollar or whatever he’s making.”
I want to register a complaint regarding David’s obvious bigotry against weasels.
Letterman must be nostalgic when he was hosting, harassing multiple female interns into having sex with him.
It’s called taking responsibility for your own actions! Something your dear toddler Drumpf refuses to do what with the Epstein files hanging over his head, Mucky Boy!
Letterman just gave an interview with the NYTimes and said he believed that late night comedy won’t be around in a year. They’ve all said it including Kimmel himself! Stop blaming Trump. You boomers are coping. Nobody watches. It’s not even a loss leader. It’s just a money pit for these overpaid boomers like Colbert. The advertisers aren’t paying for tv anymore because nobody under 70 even owns a tv.
I don’t know anyone under 70 — any ADULTS, that is — who doesn’t own a TV. Nor is it a widespread thing.
This is called solipsism and you’re clearly leaving a no true Scotsman fallacy disclaimer,
My point stands. You boomers live in your own dying ecosystem.
Look at the studio audiences of late night! How many of them are over 70? Not a lot! It’s mostly people between the ages of 18-49! And the television audience matches up with the studio audience!
You don’t know what you’re talking about! Quit while you’re behind!
Sorry, I’m firmly Gen X, born in ’74. Nice try, though.
Haha the boomers take the bait each time. You believe the handpicked studio audience reflects anything. It doesn’t. The viewership is what dictates the advertisements and the absurd contracts. There is a reason Conan, letterman and even Kimmel himself have said there is no future for this format. It’s dead and you boomers think your idiosyncrasies matter.
The audience members submit a request for tickets via email! When a date, they like, becomes available, they say yes to that, and they wait roughly a month or two before attending!
And the people who request them are mostly the 18-49 demographic! Not the seventy something boomers you fucked in the head children believe it to be!
STFU and GTFOH, millennial turd! You filth are a fucking embarrassment to yourselves!
Boomers still have 70% of the income fool. And the time to park it.
I totally agree with Dave.Stephen Colbert has the highest ratings on late night.His cancelation is completely corrupt.
You may want to check that. It is hemorrhaging money.
Pwesidenti Trumpy-poo doesn’t like jokies about hym so we will fire Colbaire. Idiots…
Good riddance.
How does Drumpf’s ass taste?