David Letterman has made his first public feedback in regards to the firing of Stephen Colbert and the cancellation of the Late Present franchise, calling the choice “gutless” and an act of “pure cowardice” by Skydance’s David Ellison, the incoming proprietor of CBS.
Showing on a YouTube present hosted by his former Late Present govt producer Barbara Gaines, Letterman repeatedly criticized Ellison, who he mockingly known as “the Ellison twins” and “the Oracle boys.” Letterman additionally rejected the concept Colbert’s cancellation was solely the results of economics, as CBS had attributed it. As an alternative, Letterman believes — just like Each day Present host Jon Stewart — that Colbert was a sacrificial lamb, supplied to placate the Trump administration to assist push the Skydance/Paramount merger over the end line.
“In the event that they have been dropping this type of cash, you’re telling me dropping this type of cash occurred yesterday? Yeah proper. I wager they have been dropping this type of cash six weeks in the past, or they’ve by no means been dropping cash,” Letterman said. They didn’t do the right factor, they didn’t deal with Stephen Colbert, the face of the community, the best way he deserved to be deal with.”
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“The concept they’re hiding behind cash — they’ve given [Colbert] one other 10 months, that’s one other big chunk of cash they’re gonna lose, based on them. I don’t suppose it was cash. I feel it was all to be sure that the Ellison twins / Oracle boys have been strong spending dad’s cash. I feel it’s unhappy. However what this means is also that Ellison twins / Oracle boys doesn’t need any hassle alongside the strains of freedom of the press or free speech or freedom of expression. They don’t wish to get their fingers soiled. They don’t need the federal government going after them as a result of you realize that idea of freedom of the press and freedom of that’s so old style.
“That is pure cowardice,” Letterman continued, pointing to Paramount’s determination to settle Trump’s 60 Minutes lawsuit as additional proof . “I imply you’re telling me 60 Minutes, the head of journalistic excellence and integrity for many years, and plenty of of these a long time the primary considered present in America — they’ve they’ve determined, ‘Ah, we’re sorry. You allow us to offer you $20 million and we’ll be extra cautious.’ I imagine that is within the wake of that and the the Oracle Twins. Why don’t they simply go purchase the Dairy Queen or one thing? Keep out of this enterprise.”
“I feel someday, if not as we speak, the folks at CBS who’ve manipulated and dealt with this, they’re going to be embarrassed as a result of that is gutless,” Letterman added. “I solely want this might occur to me. This could have been so nice for me. Now all of us acquired to kiss Stephen Colbert’s ring.”
Colbert took over as host of the Late Present from David Letterman starting in 2015, and has held the No. 1 spot within the 11:35 p.m. time slot since 2017. He’ll hosted the present till its closing episode in Could 2026.