The 79-year-old comedian was the original host of the late-night CBS show from 1993 to 2015 before passing the reins to Stephen Colbert<\/a>. <\/p>\n CBS pulled the plug on the popular talk show last July, citing a \u201cfinancial decision.\u201d<\/a> The final episode will air May 21. <\/p>\n In a new interview with The New York Times<\/a>, Letterman was asked about his initial reaction to the news. <\/p>\n \u201cDisbelief,\u201d he said. \u201cThen it seemed like a botched holdup. When we got the facts about the Ellison family [David Ellison, with backing from his father, Larry, bought CBS\u2019s parent company, Paramount Global], I took great delight in referring to the principal as the Ellison Twins. I was later corrected and told it\u2019s just one guy. I didn\u2019t care and I still refer to him as twins. There\u2019s also the old man, Larry. Is it in fact Larry?\u201d<\/p>\n He then wondered, \u201cWhat the hell have they done to Stephen [Colbert]? And I would say farther down on the list is your point: Wait a minute, this used to be my show.\u201d<\/p>\n Letterman compared the feeling to driving through \u201cyour old neighborhood and realizing that where you used to live, they\u2019re putting up an adult bookstore.\u201d<\/p>\n While he acknowledged that time has \u201cseparated me from the genealogy of the show,\u201d he stood by those impacted by the cancellation.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s outrage to be directed at management, either real or imagined, I\u2019m all in. Let\u2019s go,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1232662403.jpg\")
David Letterman was the original ‘Late Show’ host from 1993 to 2015 (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n
![\"Letterman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/David-Letterman-and-Stephen-Colbert.png\")
Letterman has previously expressed support for Stephen Colbert (right), arguing he became ‘the face’ of CBS (Letterman on YouTube\/Getty)<\/p>\n