David Letterman Slams CBS News Leadership, Calls Network’s Direction “Gutless”

Veteran late-night host David Letterman, 78, has sharply criticized CBS News, the network where he worked for more than two decades, saying its journalistic integrity has been destroyed by new leadership.

In a video posted Friday, Letterman said the values that once defined CBS News have been “trampled on” and “eviscerated,” adding that the changes now unfolding at the network have personally upset him. “I’m at a point now where it’s really hurting my feelings,” he said.

Letterman made the remarks while appearing on The Barbara Gaines Show, a YouTube program hosted by his longtime producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. During the conversation, he bluntly declared, “CBS News is a wreck. It’s just gone.”

His comments were aimed at the sweeping changes at CBS News following the merger of its parent company, Paramount, with Skydance Media, led by billionaire David Ellison. After the merger, Ellison appointed Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, as editor-in-chief of CBS News.

Letterman pointed to a controversial decision made late last month, when a 60 Minutes segment critical of Donald Trump was pulled at the last minute. He also criticized recent changes at CBS Evening News, including the promotion of Tony Dokoupil to anchor, noting that Dokoupil’s early messaging struck him as politically slanted.

Letterman joined CBS in 1993 and spent 22 years hosting Late Show with David Letterman. During that time, he earned more than 50 Emmy nominations before retiring in 2015 and handing the show over to Stephen Colbert.

In the new video, Letterman also warned that television is “running out of places” for hosts who rely on political satire, naming Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers as examples. He praised Kimmel in particular, saying the comedian has repeatedly embarrassed network executives by openly challenging them.

Letterman has previously defended Colbert, whom he once described as a “precise, quick, witty political satirist.” After Colbert’s departure from CBS was announced, Letterman said the network failed to support “the face of their network” in the way it should have.

His criticism also touched on a $16 million lawsuit settlement reached in July 2025 between Paramount and Trump over a 60 Minutes segment featuring then–presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Weeks after that settlement, CBS announced Colbert’s early exit, a move Letterman called “pure cowardice.”

“One day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed,” Letterman said. “This is gutless.” He then added with a laugh, “I only wish this could’ve happened to me. This would’ve been great for me.”