David Letterman told TODAY’s Craig Melvin at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the end of The Late Show on CBS is a cultural loss, reflecting on the program’s 33-year run and the final Stephen Colbert episode airing May 21; the conversation also brought attention to Letterman’s heart health campaign with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Edwards Lifesciences, and a short documentary set to premiere online on May 22.
Letterman, who launched the show in 1993 and hosted until 2015, didn’t hold back. “Kind of makes me sad,” he 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.” Those lines came from a man who helped shape late-night television for decades, and they set the tone for a conversation that mixed nostalgia with blunt critique.
Stephen Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015, and his final episode as host is slated for May 21 after CBS decided to end the program. 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.” That framing points to corporate calculations rather than creative failures.
Word of the cancellation landed shortly after Colbert used his platform to criticize a network settlement, calling the situation a “big, fat bribe” on The Late Show. The timing raised eyebrows and added fuel to public debate about the reasons behind CBS’s move. Whatever the motive, viewers who grew up on late-night monologues and interviews will notice the hole it leaves.
The network plans to replace The Late Show with Comics Unleashed, a program hosted by Byron Allen, signaling a different direction for the late-night slot. Letterman’s reaction was direct: “I think it’s too bad that Stephen is gone,” he told Melvin. “I think it’s a huge mistake.”
Letterman also appeared on The Late Show with Colbert on April 15 and discussed the cancellation in person. “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 met Letterman at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway because the location ties directly to a cause Letterman has made personal: heart valve health. Letterman co-owns Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal and businessman Mike Lanigan, and the team has teamed up with Edwards Lifesciences for the “Stay In the Race” campaign to set up heart valve screening booths at races around the country and urge early detection among older adults.
All three principals have faced serious heart issues themselves, which gives the campaign urgency. Letterman had quintuple bypass surgery in 2000, Rahal has had quadruple bypass surgery, and Lanigan has undergone triple bypass surgery; those experiences shape how they talk about prevention and screening. “I feel great,” Letterman said about his health. “I love the topic of this, and I love heart maintenance in particular.”
RLL Racing’s involvement aims to bring screenings to people who might not otherwise seek them, especially adults 65 and older who are at higher risk for valvular problems. The project includes a short documentary called “Stay in the Race” that will premiere online on May 22, using the team’s platform to push a straightforward message about prevention and treatment. “It could be a silent killer,” Lanigan warned, and his follow-up plea is plainspoken and actionable: “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.”
