David Letterman marched back into the Ed Sullivan Theater on Thursday night and unloaded on CBS over its decision to cancel Stephen Colbert’s late-night show — just moments after Colbert himself mocked the network’s beleaguered news division on-air.
The former “Late Show” host joined Colbert for a blistering segment that ridiculed CBS and its new ownership before the pair capped the appearance by tossing couches, office chairs, watermelons and a wedding cake off the roof of the landmark Manhattan theater.
The stunt came the same day Colbert took another public swipe at CBS News during his monologue, joking about correspondent Tony Dokoupil being forced to cover President Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping from neighboring Taiwan after failing to secure a visa for mainland China.
“CBS News: when events happen we’re at most one country away,” Colbert cracked during Thursday’s broadcast, drawing laughs from the audience.
Dokoupil had been expected to report from China during the summit but instead anchored remotely from Taiwan after a visa snafu, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The rushed overseas setup reportedly contributed to a frightening incident involving veteran CBS cameraman Randy Schmidt, who allegedly collapsed from exhaustion while helping prepare the technically demanding remote operation, sources told The Post.
Sources said Schmidt worked more than 24 straight hours helping assemble the Taiwan live-shot position before fainting.
“He must have worked all hours getting it set up,” one source told The Post.
A source close to CBS News disputed claims Schmidt had been dangerously overworked, insisting the narrative circulating internally was exaggerated and that he had been supported by a broader production crew.
Later Thursday night, Colbert turned his attention back to CBS itself when Letterman took the stage to thunderous applause.
“Well, you know what happened backstage? I’m standing backstage, a guy comes over, he says he’s from CBS and he fires me,” Letterman joked.
“What is going on over there?!”
Letterman, who launched “The Late Show” in 1993 and hosted it for more than two decades before Colbert took over, made clear he still harbored resentment over the network’s handling of the franchise.
“I have every right to be pissed off, so I’ll be pissed off here a little bit,” Letterman said.
The segment soon turned into a stunt aimed squarely at CBS.
After Letterman asked whether the network owned the furniture on the set, crew members hauled couches and props to the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater, where they were hurled onto a giant CBS logo in what the pair described as the “wanton destruction of CBS property.”
Letterman also sent Colbert’s desk chair flying off the building.
CBS’ decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after an 11-year run stunned the entertainment world and triggered accusations that Paramount Global was attempting to appease President Trump while finalizing its merger with Skydance Media.
CBS has denied political motivations, insisting the cancellation was financial and claiming the program was losing roughly $40 million annually.
Critics including Letterman and fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel have questioned that explanation, particularly given Paramount’s efforts to secure regulatory approval for the Skydance deal.
President Trump celebrated Colbert’s cancellation on Truth Social, writing that he “absolutely love[d] that Colbert got fired” while claiming the comedian had less “talent” than his ratings.
Letterman has repeatedly blasted CBS executives over the decision, previously calling the company’s owners “lying weasels” and suggesting the financial rationale behind Colbert’s ouster was far from the full story.
During Thursday’s appearance, Letterman also reflected nostalgically on the Ed Sullivan Theater, which has housed “The Late Show” franchise for more than 30 years.
“This theater, you folks wouldn’t be in this theater if it weren’t for me, and Stephen wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me,” Letterman said.
He later lamented that Colbert’s run had “come to a screeching halt by other hands.”
Former Paramount chair Shari Redstone has defended the cancellation, insisting late-night television is no longer “financially not viable.”
“I love Stephen. He does a great job, but we really needed to be in a financially valuable business,” Redstone said recently at Axios’ Media Trends event in New York.
Colbert’s final episode is scheduled to air Thursday, May 21.
