Late Present With David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer is simply as surprised as viewers are that CBS is canceling The Late Present With Stephen Colbert and the whole Late Present franchise.
“Stunning. Completely stunning,” Shaffer mentioned of the choice in a current Leisure Weekly interview. “That’s all I can say. I imply, I don’t know what extra to say about it. Stephen Colbert was completely primary.”
Shaffer was a CBS worker for many years, main the CBS Orchestra and serving as David Letterman’s sidekick for the host’s complete Late Present run, from 1993 to 2015. Beforehand, Shaffer crammed the identical function on Letterman’s NBC present, Late Night time With David Letterman, from 1982 to 1993.
And the musician thinks the top of The Late Present would possibly certainly portend the top of late-night discuss reveals. “I wouldn’t be shocked if these doom-sayers which are saying it signifies the top of the Late Present-type of factor, , late evening tv, it’s over,” he informed EW. “Individuals will watch clips on their computer systems, and all of it is smart to me. I’m glad that I used to be out and in of there whereas the getting was good.”
Letterman, for his half, criticized his former community, saying on his YouTube channel that he doesn’t imagine CBS’ claims that the choice to cancel the Late Present franchise was purely financial. He mentioned CBS was exhibiting “pure cowardice” following dad or mum firm Paramount’s $16 million fee to Donald Trump to settle the president’s lawsuit over CBS’ 60 Minutes.
“I believe someday, if not at the moment, the folks at CBS who’ve manipulated and dealt with this are going to be embarrassed,” Letterman added. “That is gutless.”
Former Late Night time host Conan O’Brien mentioned at a Tv Academy occasion final month (per The Hollywood Reporter) that “late evening tv as we have now recognized it since round 1950 goes to vanish,” however he wasn’t involved about Colbert. “These voices usually are not going anyplace,” he defined. “Individuals like Stephen Colbert are too gifted and too important to go away.”
However Jimmy Kimmel, ABC’s resident late-night host, thinks the post-11-p.m. section of the tv business will survive. “Community tv is declining. There’s no query about that,” he informed Selection final month. “The concept late-night is useless is solely unfaithful. Individuals simply aren’t watching it on community tv within the numbers they used to — or dwell, for that matter. So the promoting mannequin could also be dying, however late-night tv is the alternative.”