A Former Producer For The Late Show Under David Letterman Just Weighed In On CBS' Surprising Decision: 'Never Threaten A Corporate Merger'
The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has stirred up a plethora of conversations. Many of those discussions revolve around the future of the late-night TV landscape, which is seemingly becoming increasingly unstable as viewers consume media in varied ways. On top of that, though, others continue to speculate as to whether CBS' decision to axe the show was purely 'financial' as stated. Amid that, one of the franchise's ex-producers, who worked with OG host David Letterman, is now weighing in.
Rob Burnett, specifically, is among the latest people to share thoughts, and he has quite a bit of experience with late-night TV. In 1993, he started working as a writer-producer on Late Night with David Letterman, which aired on NBC. Burnett ultimately made the move to CBS with Letterman when The Late Show was picked up at that network. Deadline reached out to Burnett to ask about the Stephen Colbert news, during which he made a joke that referenced the corporate moves that have been occurring at the Eye Network as of late:
When we started the Late Show in 1993, we had the same goals everyone doing talk shows has: make people laugh and never threaten a corporate merger. If Colbert had been #1 and nominated for an Emmy two days prior none of this would have happened.
The seasoned writer is referring to the fact that Paramount Global – CBS' parent company – has been in the midst of finalizing its merger with Skydance. At the same time, the corporation just settled the $16 million lawsuit involving U.S. President Donald Trump and 60 Minutes. As noted by the trade, that lawsuit was viewed as the final hurdle keeping Paramount from receiving FCC approval for its latest acquisition. Stephen Colbert himself, while on air, chastised his employers for settling the suit with Trump.
Since The Late Show's demise was confirmed, a number of celebrities have taken to social media to air their grievances. Jimmy Kimmel and Bowen Yang were among the stars to reach out, and many are of the belief that Stephen Colbert is being penalized for his comments as opposed to being cut for financial reasons. For his part, Rob Burnett cited Colbert's popularity amongst talk show hosts as one of the reasons he's not completely convinced that money was the driving force behind the cancellation:
While the financial landscape of late night has undeniably changed, I don't think you dismiss a talent like Stephen Colbert in this manner. It just doesn't make sense. Stephen is as good as it gets. He will be heard from for many years to come. They should choose their adversaries more wisely.
Colbert's stint on his current show, as it stands, is still slated to end in May 2026. It was in September 2015 that Colbert took over from David Letterman, who retired earlier that year. Since taking over The Late Show, Colbert has received 11 Emmy nominations for his hosting duties, and he also won a Peabody Award. Colbert addressed the cancellation news during an episode of his eponymous talk show and, since then, insiders have reported that the crew isn't happy with the decision. The on-air address can be viewed below:
It seems that plenty of people have thoughts on The Late Show's fate, and they aren't holding back those opinions. We'll see if any other fellow TV producers join Rob Burnett in discussing the situation as the 2025 TV schedule pushes on and Stephen Colbert and co. move closer to the end of their run.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
a few seconds ago
- Forbes
U.S. And EU Reach Trade Deal—Setting Tariffs at 15%
The U.S. has agreed to a trade deal with the European Union, President Donald Trump announced Sunday afternoon, agreeing to a 15% tariff rate on most exports, including European cars, from EU countries—just days before the Aug. 1 deadline set for Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs. US President Donald Trump meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland ... More on Sunday. AFP via Getty Images This is a breaking story and will be updated.


CBS News
a few seconds ago
- CBS News
Vought won't rule out more rescissions funding cuts before September
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said his office is considering more options to claw back funding approved by Congress and isn't ruling out sending more bills to lawmakers with further cuts before September. Vought confirmed on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" Sunday that "we are looking to do [a] rescissions package" to take back some funding from the Education Department. A rescissions bill is the president's request to rescind funding already appropriated by Congress. Last week, President Trump signed a bill clawing back foreign aid, NPR and PBS funding, becoming the first president in decades to receive approval for such a measure. "We're thrilled that we had the first rescissions package in decades, and we've got the process moving again," Vought said of the $10 billion clawback. Asked to confirm there'd be no rescissions package before September, as Congress attempts to fund the government and head off a shutdown, Vought responded, "Not here to say that. We're looking at all of our options, we will look at it and assess where the Hill is, what are the particular funding opportunities that we have?" Asked about National Institutes of Health funding for research into heart disease and cancer that has yet to be released, Vought replied, "We're going through the same process with the NIH that we did with the education." He alleged NIH had wasted funds, claiming "$2 million for injecting dogs with cocaine that the NIH spent money on, $75,000 for Harvard to study blowing lizards off of trees with leaf blowers." He vowed to go "line by line to make sure the NIH is funded properly" and said funding would be released "when we are done with that review." Vought's use of rescissions measures to amend government spending is seen by Democrats and some Republicans as a backdoor method of infringing on Congress' constitutional power of the purse. "Rescissions is just a Washington name for double cross," Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, also on "Face the Nation," said after Vought's interview on the program. "They support one thing one day — the president even signs off — and then they come back and say they change their mind." But the OMB director argued, "We have the ability and the executive tools to fund less than what Congress appropriated" under the Impoundment Control Act, which enables the president to delay spending funds appropriated by Congress, and he didn't rule out a legal battle over the executive branch's authority to revise lawmakers' spending downward, if it "could find waste" by an agency. Vought has also caused GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune some headaches with a comment he made Thursday suggesting the appropriations process must be "less bipartisan." But this put Thune in a bind as he oversees negotiations to avoid a government shutdown in October, since Republicans hold a slim majority of 53 - 47 in the Senate, and most legislation must reach a 60-vote threshold. "It's going to take 60 to fund the government," Thune said in response to Vought's remark, and he added, "we plan to move [appropriations] bills that will have cooperation from the Democrats." Van Hollen said it was ironic that Vought is "calling for these deep cuts to education, NIH, when he has asked for an increase for his OMB budget." And referring to reduction-in-force — or RIF — staff cuts the administration wants across the government, Van Hollen added, "He asked for a 13% increase for his OMB budget. He's asked for more people to join the OMB staff while he's talking about RIF-ing people at other departments." The Maryland senator said that Democratic senators, as they negotiate funding government operations, are "asking for four Republican senators just to publicly declare that when they say they're gonna fund the Veterans Affairs Department, that they actually mean it."


Bloomberg
a few seconds ago
- Bloomberg
Tom Lehrer, Harvard's Satiric, Melodic Mathematician, Dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, the Harvard-educated mathematician whose brief side gig as one of America's favorite satirical composers captured in tune some of the anxieties and absurdities of the 1950s and 1960s, has died, according to the New York Times. He was 97. Lehrer died on Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Times said, citing a friend of Lehrer's, David Herder.