A New 20-Minute Supercut of David Letterman Slamming CBS: “You Can’t Spell CBS Without BS”

The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert—CBS insists it was purely a “financial decision,” the result of declining ad revenue in late night television. While some buy this argument, others see it as a different kind of “financial decision,” a decision by Paramount (the parent company of CBS) to sacrifice Colbert so that […]

Jul 29, 2025 - 20:46
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A New 20-Minute Supercut of David Letterman Slamming CBS: “You Can’t Spell CBS Without BS”

The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert—CBS insists it was purely a “financial decision,” the result of declining ad revenue in late night television. While some buy this argument, others see it as a different kind of “financial decision,” a decision by Paramount (the parent company of CBS) to sacrifice Colbert so that the American president won’t cancel a lucrative $28-billion merger. Yesterday, David Letterman, the previous host of CBS’ The Late Show, released a 20-minute supercut featuring the many times he took CBS to task over the years. The subtext? He doesn’t seem to buy CBS’s talking points. Nor does Jon Stewart. More direct than Letterman, Stewart gives his own take on why CBS canceled Colbert: “I think the answer is in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America’s institutions at this very moment, institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful and vindictive actions of our pubic-hair-doodling commander-in-chief. This is not the moment to give in. I’m not giving in. I’m not going anywhere.” Note to reader: Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show airs on Comedy Central, which is owned by Paramount.

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