David Letterman believes the end of “The Late Show” on CBS is a “huge mistake” and a loss for American culture.
The legendary former “Late Show” host shared his take with “TODAY” co-anchor Craig Melvin on the cancellation of the CBS late-night program after 33 years on the air. The final episode with host Stephen Colbert airs Thursday.
Letterman, 79, who hosted the show from its inception in 1993 until 2015, spoke with Melvin from the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his native Indiana.
“Kind of makes me sad,” Letterman said. “We always relied on, you would read the newspaper in the morning, and at night you would see Johnny Carson. And Johnny would give you a perspective whether you agreed with it or not, but it was always funny.
“And without that, I think we’re losing a valuable perspective. I think it’s very, very important to the American culture.”
Colbert, who took over for Letterman in 2015, announced in July that CBS was canceling the show. The heads of Paramount Global and CBS released a statement, saying their “agonizing decision” was “purely a financial” one and is “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
News of the cancellation came just days after Colbert called CBS’ $16 million settlement with the White House over a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris a “big, fat bribe” on “The Late Show.”
The show is being replaced with “Comics Unleashed,” hosted by Byron Allen.
“I think it’s too bad that Stephen is gone,” Letterman told Melvin. “I think it’s a huge mistake.”
Letterman also appeared on “The Late Show” with Colbert on April 15 and talked about the cancellation.
“As we all understand, you can take a man’s show, you can’t take a man’s voice, so that’s the good news,” he told Colbert.
Melvin spoke with Letterman at Indianapolis Motor Speedway because it’s tied to a cause close to Letterman’s heart. The diehard racing fan, who co-owns Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with legendary Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal and businessman Mike Lanigan, has joined a campaign to urge racing fans to get screened to avoid heart valve failure.
RLL Racing has partnered with Edwards Lifesciences for the “Stay In the Race” campaign to set up heart valve screening booths at races around the country, emphasizing the importance of early detection and timely referral among adults 65 and older.
Letterman, Rahal and Lanigan have all survived serious heart scares.
“I feel great,” Letterman said about his health. “I love the topic of this, and I love heart maintenance in particular.”
Letterman had quintuple bypass surgery in 2000, Rahal has had quadruple bypass surgery and Lanigan has undergone triple bypass surgery.
The trio are featured in a short documentary called “Stay in the Race” that will premiere online on May 22.
“It could be a silent killer,” Lanigan said. “And if you go out, get your heart valves checked, and if you’re OK, then you’re having a great day. If you find out you have an issue, they can fix it.”
