Former late-night host David Letterman made an appearance on Thursday’s broadcast of The Late Show, giving Stephen Colbert a memorable send-off by heading to the rooftop of the Ed Sullivan Theater to toss CBS property.
Letterman was known for throwing items off buildings during his tenure on The Late Show. However, when Colbert took over in 2015, CBS prohibited him from doing the same. That changed on Thursday when Colbert, with Letterman, decided to discard a CBS logo sign from the rooftop, flouting the ban.
CBS has recently canceled its flagship late-night show, with no replacement scheduled for Colbert, whose last episode is set for May 21st due to disappointing ratings. To celebrate Colbert’s exit, the two hosts ascended to the roof where their show had aired since 1993 and mockingly expressed their feelings towards the network.
They began by throwing a lounge chair, followed by a desk chair, and even some watermelon, all aimed at smashing the CBS logo below.
After their rooftop antics, Colbert expressed gratitude to Letterman for his appearance, reminiscing about how happy he was to destroy something together 33 years after their first meeting.
Letterman joyfully replied, “The joy is all mine. I enjoy destroying things. It’s a lot of fun. Thank you for everything you’ve done for our country.”
Before making their way to the rooftop, they examined some items in the studio they planned to demolish.
Letterman mentioned that the stunt made him “a little teary-eyed” as he prepared to say farewell to Colbert, adding, “I have every right to be angry, so I’m going to get a little angry here.”
He continued, “Without me, this theater and Stephen wouldn’t be here. We rebuilt this theater together. Stephen once said, ‘Why don’t you take a look at this? It’s like the Bellagio.’ But remember, you can take a man’s show, but you can’t take a man’s voice. That’s the good news from me.”
As they looked at the lounge chair about to go over the edge, Letterman asked, “Who owns it?” Colbert answered, “This all belongs to Paramount CBS Corporation.”
Letterman jokingly said, “Oh, this is good. It would be a shame if something happened to this.”
