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Letterman Joins Colbert in Rooftop Rebuke of CBS as ‘Late Show’ Nears Finale

The spectacle sharpened a public fight over CBS’s claim it scrapped the franchise for cost reasons.

Overview

  • David Letterman’s return, which aired Thursday, ended with him and Stephen Colbert tossing set furniture, watermelons, and a cake off the Ed Sullivan Theater roof onto a CBS logo.
  • Letterman roasted the network on air and signed off with an expletive-laced nod to Edward R. Murrow that targeted CBS.
  • Colbert’s final episode is set for Thursday, May 21, and rival hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon plan reruns that night in a show of support.
  • CBS will hand the 11:35 p.m. hour to Byron Allen’s syndicated block on May 22, starting with Comics Unleashed at 11:35 p.m. and Funny You Should Ask at 12:35 a.m.
  • CBS says ending The Late Show was a financial move amid reports of about $40 million in annual losses, while critics link the timing to the Skydance takeover and political pressure tied to President Trump.