David Letterman delivered a fiery rant against CBS and parent company Paramount for cancelling Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” calling the decision “gutless” and “pure cowardice” as he labeled his successor a martyr of the network.

While ratings for Colbert's show have declined over the last decade, the program has consistently achieved the highest views of any show in the 11:35 p.m. hour, outdrawing ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," according to Nielsen.

David Letterman unloaded on CBS and Skydance on Friday for cancelling “The Late Show,” which he launched 32 years ago, saying the network had mistreated his successor, Stephen Colbert. In an interview posted to his YouTube channel,

"He's gonna make stuff, 'cause Stephen is a creator, and a genius, and his voice is pure and wonderful," Odenkirk says.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Stephen Colbert, both critics of President Donald Trump, spoke about a variety of topics on the show, which is slated to end next year.

Paramount announced last week that “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” would be ending in May 2026. While the company claimed the move was a purely “financial decision,” speculation has swirled over whether Colbert’s sharp criticism of Trump had anything to do with his ouster as Paramount looked to get its merger approved.

Stephen Colbert offered his corporate bosses a simple math lesson after President Donald Trump claimed the company would pay up millions more than had been initially reported as part of a widely criticized settlement. Related: "Can A Trump Supporter Explain": 49 Brutal, Brutal, Brutal Political Tweets Of The Month

A review by Fox News Digital found that left-wing journalists and other media figures made hundreds of appearances on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."