David Letterman delivered a fiery rant against CBS and parent company Paramount for cancelling Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” calling the decision “gutless” and “pure cowardice” as he labeled his successor a martyr of the network.

CBS announced Thursday “The Late Show” will end in May at the end of its broadcast season. Though CBS and parent company Paramount said the choice to cancel the series was “purely a financial decision,” and the show was reportedly losing the network $40 million a year, many liberal commentators claim it was for political reasons.

Stephen Colbert announced 'The Late Show' will end in May 2026 amid CBS's decision to cancel the franchise for financial reasons

Since then, Colbert has been ripping into Donald Trump with renewed relish, often while also flaying CBS and its parent company, Paramount. By doubling down on attacking his most powerful enemy, at a time when network execs are facing such intense scrutiny for what many believe was a politically motivated firing,

CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s late-night show. Democrat Minnesota Gov. and failed vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, who recently appeared on the

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's $40 million annual losses led to its cancellation according to two liberal media columns, dismissing political motivations.

The union says of the Colbert cancellation, "Now, more urgently than ever, is a time for courage, not cowardice."

Monday night's (July 21) show also featured kiss cam-style pop-ins from supportive fellow talkers Anderson Cooper, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart and Adam Sandler.