David Letterman isn’t having it with the gaggle of “idiots” now running the news division of his old TV home at CBS.
Letterman, in a clip shared to his YouTube page on Friday, declared that CBS News is a “wreck” amid its rightward shift under parent company Paramount CEO (and Trump ally) David Ellison, as well as Bari Weiss, the conservative journalist picked to serve as the news division’s editor-in-chief.
Letterman pointed to the history of CBS News, particularly legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow’s broadcasts from London during the height of the Blitz in World War II.
“It was that mentality that drove the integrity of CBS News that has been trampled on, pissed on and eviscerated by these idiots that have taken it over,” Letterman said.
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Letterman is among a number of former CBS stars who have criticized CBS News’ conservative tilt in recent months.
Back in July, he slammed CBS over its shock decision to cancel the Stephen Colbert-led “Late Show,” a franchise he began over three decades ago.
The cancellation was widely seen as the network caving to political pressure, as Paramount sought to complete a merger with Skydance Media, which required approval from the Trump administration. CBS has insisted that its move to end the “Late Show” was “purely a financial decision.”
“I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed because this is gutless,” Letterman said at the time.
Under its new leadership, CBS News has faced backlash for yanking a “60 Minutes” segment critical of the Trump administration and whittling the 38-page handbook of principles at “CBS Evening News” down to “five simple values” that guide the program. One of those values is a “love” for America.
Tony Dokoupil, in his first week as permanent anchor of “CBS Evening News,” got off to a rocky start before he faced criticism for fawning over Secretary of State Marco Rubio and “both-sidesing” the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack.
