Following the cancellation of The Late Show by CBS, David Letterman utilized his platform to revisit his past criticisms of the network. On Monday, the iconic late-night host released a 20-minute montage on YouTube, highlighting moments from his time as the show’s anchor, where he voiced concerns about CBS and its decisions.
In his video, titled “CBS: The Tiffany Network,” Letterman quipped, “You can’t spell CBS without BS.” The montage, which juxtaposed clips from various years—including 1994, 2003, 2004, 2010, and 2013—showed his candid remarks over the years. In a notable 1994 segment, he critiqued CBS for losing NFL broadcasting rights, humorously presenting imagined slogans such as “Could be sold” and “More powerful than the Weather Channel!”.
A 2003 clip featured Letterman joking about CBS’s apparent indifference to the longevity of The Late Show. “They don’t know and they don’t care… I’m gonna call the CBS switchboard and see if they know how long we’ve been on air,” he remarked, humorously suggesting he might be overreacting.
In another segment, Letterman pointed out how a CBS advertisement in USA Today prominently promoted other shows, sidelining The Late Show. He jokingly indicated a small mention of that evening’s guests.
This video release occurred only four days after CBS announced the decision to end The Late Show, citing financial challenges as the driving reason. The network expressed gratitude towards Stephen Colbert, the show’s host, affirming that the cancellation was unrelated to the show’s performance or content, but purely a financial consideration amidst a tough late-night landscape.
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Nevertheless, the timing of the cancellation faced backlash, particularly following Colbert’s recent remarks criticizing CBS’s parent company for its settlement with Donald Trump. Senator Elizabeth Warren raised questions about the underlying motives, suggesting, “A deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” Similarly, Congressman Adam Schiff expressed concerns, stating, “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.”
