David Letterman returned one last time to the show he started 33 years ago.
Letterman, 79, says goodbye The Late Show on Thursday, May 14, when he joined the current host Stephen Colbert to remember the old days. Letterman started The Late Show in 1993 and retired in 2015, paving the way for Colbert, now 62, to take over.
“I have every right to be angry, so I’m going to be a little angry here. You wouldn’t be in this theater without me, and Stephen wouldn’t be here without me,” Letterman said said about returning to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. “We rebuilt this theater, and then Stephen came in and looked at it. It’s like the Bellagio (hotel). You can take a man’s show, but you can’t take a man’s voice.”
Letterman then joked about Colbert’s co-hosts on late night talk shows Jimmy Fallon And Jimmy Kimmel.
Former Daily Show correspondent and beloved late-night host Stephen Colbert shocked fans in July 2025 when he announced that CBS had decided to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — and late-night programming as a whole — in May 2026. The surprising move saw the long-running late-night franchise, which was launched by David (…), discontinued.
“You know what I’m really worried about? What will happen to the Jimmys? Will they be okay?” he asked.
Later in the episode: Letterman and Colbert made their way to the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater to destroy CBS property in advance The Late Showis on air for the last week.
“I thought tonight’s occasion might be a little sad since your run here has ended, but this fills me with real joy. We’re up here because of the wanton destruction of CBS property,” Letterman said before he and Colbert proceeded to throw away both Colbert’s desk chair and the blue sofa chairs used by guests from above the venue.
Colbert then joked that CBS sent him and Letterman a cake that said “The Late Show 1993-2026” on it, which they also threw on the floor.
CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show in July 2025. Colbert’s final episode is scheduled to air on Thursday, May 21.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We believe Stephen Colbert is irreplaceable and will retire him Late show franchise at this time,” CBS said in a statement. “We are proud that Stephen has called CBS home.” He and the show will be remembered in the pantheon of greats to grace late-night television.”
CBS said the move was purely “financial in nature” and was “in no way related to performance, content or other matters occurring at Paramount.” (CBS’s parent company, Paramount, was acquired by Skydance Media in August 2025.)
In an interview with The New York Times In early May, Letterman contradicted the statement that the show was canceled for financial reasons.
Stephen Colbert has seen it all as a late-night talk show host — but even he couldn’t have predicted how beautiful Michelle Williams would be when they first met. On the Wednesday, May 13, episode of the Strike Force Five podcast, Colbert, 62, discussed which of his previous guests on The Late Show With Stephen (…)
“He was fired because the people who sold the channel to Skydance said, ‘Oh no, there won’t be any trouble with the guy. We’ll take care of the show. We’ll just work this into the deal. When will the ink dry on the check,'” Letterman claimed.
He added: “I’m just saying for the record: They’re lying. Let me add something else. … They’re lying weasels.”
CBS, for its part, said so Just that the shows The cancellation was “clearly a financial decision”.
