Letterman calls – David Letterman says CBS ending Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” after 33 years is “a huge mistake,” warning that America is losing a vital cultural perspective as the final episode airs May 21. He spoke with Craig Melvin at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he
David Letterman didn’t try to soften it when he talked about the end of Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show.”
Sitting with Craig Melvin at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway—Letterman’s native Indiana—he looked straight at what CBS is doing and how it lands on viewers. “Kind of makes me sad,” the 79-year-old said. “We always relied on, you would read the newspaper in the morning, and at night you would see Johnny Carson.”.
Letterman’s point wasn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. He tied the nightly ritual to something he believes mattered: context and perspective. “Johnny would give you a perspective whether you agreed with it or not, but it was always funny. And without that, I think we’re losing a valuable perspective. I think it’s very, very important to the American culture.”.
Colbert took over from Letterman in 2015, and CBS has now moved to end the program after 33 years on the air. The final episode with Colbert is set to air on May 21.
CBS has framed the decision as a business calculation. Colbert announced in July 2025 that CBS was canceling the show. Later. the heads of Paramount Global and CBS released a statement saying their “agonizing decision” was “purely a financial” one and is “not related in any way to the show’s performance. content or other matters happening at Paramount.”.
The cancellation landed amid fresh controversy around CBS. It came just days after Colbert called CBS’ $16 million settlement with the White House over a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris a “big, fat bribe” on “The Late Show.”
With “Late Show” ending, CBS plans to replace it with “Comics Unleashed,” hosted by Byron Allen.
Letterman’s criticism was blunt once Colbert was out of the picture. “I think it’s too bad that Stephen is gone,” Letterman told Craig. “I think it’s a huge mistake.” He also appeared on “The Late Show” with Colbert on April 15 to discuss the cancellation.
That relationship—Letterman’s old-school confidence paired with Colbert’s modern late-night voice—was summed up by a line Letterman told Colbert during that April 15 appearance. “As we all understand, you can take a man’s show, you can’t take a man’s voice, so that’s the good news,” he said.
But as Melvin sat down with him at the track, the conversation moved beyond television. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is tied to a different cause close to Letterman’s heart: heart valve screening.
Letterman. who co-owns Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with legendary Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal and businessman Mike Lanigan. has joined a campaign pushing racing fans to get screened to avoid heart valve failure. RLL Racing has partnered with Edwards Lifesciences for the “Stay In the Race” campaign. setting up heart valve screening booths at races around the country—centered on the importance of early detection and timely referral among adults 65 and older.
The push isn’t theoretical for any of the trio. Letterman, Rahal, and Lanigan have all survived serious heart scares. Letterman has said he had quintuple bypass surgery in 2000. Rahal has had quadruple bypass surgery, and Lanigan has undergone triple bypass surgery.
They also appear in a short documentary called “Stay in the Race,” which will premiere online on May 22.
When Letterman talked about his own health, his tone was calm and direct. “I feel great,” he said. “I love the topic of this, and I love heart maintenance in particular.”
Lanigan put it more urgently. “It could be a silent killer,” he said. “And if you go out, get your heart valves checked, and if you’re OK, then you’re having a great day. If you find out you have an issue, they can fix it.”
David Letterman Stephen Colbert The Late Show CBS cancellation May 21 final episode Indianapolis Motor Speedway Craig Melvin heart valve screening Stay in the Race Edwards Lifesciences Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
So CBS just axed it like that? Kinda wild.
Letterman acting like Johnny Carson is gonna come back and fix everything lol. But I mean, yeah, late night used to be a thing you watched with your morning paper.
Wait I thought Colbert was moving to some streaming thing, like they wouldn’t really cancel it. Also if it’s “purely financial” then why even make a big deal about perspective or whatever. Seems like they’re just embarrassed.
I don’t get how they can say it’s financial but then talk about it like it’s not about the performance. People keep saying “ratings” but then it’s connected to the whole 60 Minutes White House settlement drama too, so which is it? Either way, losing the show is sad because it was like the one time you heard anyone actually make sense at night. May 21 can’t come soon enough? I mean… for what, closure? It’s just gonna be another channel you forget about.