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It was a Top Ten moment for fans of late-night.David Letterman returned to his former home, the Ed Sullivan Theater, on Thursday, May 14, to appear as one of the final guests on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," before the show concludes on May 21."I came very close to being teary about that," Letterman, 79, told Colbert, 62, of his emotional return, before quickly throwing in a jab at CBS. "You know what happened backstage? I'm standing [there]. A guy comes over, and he says he's from CBS, and then he fired me."Later in the show, Letterman and Colbert channeled their rage at Colbert's cancellation in a zany segment that saw the TV hosts hurl several pieces of furniture off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater. A bullseye in the shape of CBS' logo was used as their target."I thought maybe tonight's occasion would be a little sad, being the end of your run here, but this brings true joy to my heart," Letterman said. "We are up here for the wanton destruction of CBS property."Colbert added: "When I first got this gig, one of the first things they told me before we even moved into the offices is that I would not be allowed to throw anything off of the roof of the Ed Sullivan building because evidently there was a problem with a previous tenant. I never did it, but we're at the end here, so all bets are off."How long was Stephen Colbert on 'The Late Show'?Colbert premiered his version of the "Late Show" on Sept. 8, 2015; he was canceled in the summer of 2025.CBS' parent company, formerly Paramount Global and now Paramount Skydance Corporation, described the call as "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night." But some suspected Colbert's criticisms about President Donald Trump played a role.Who's replacing Stephen Colbert?CBS will fill "The Late Show" timeslot with the syndicated "Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen."Stephen Colbert last show dateThe final episode of "The Late Show" will air May 21 on CBS.Why did David Letterman leave 'The Late Show'?Letterman hosted CBS' "Late Show" from 1993–2015. He left NBC when Jay Leno was announced as Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" replacement.The late-night host concluded his TV tenure in May 2015 after revealing his plans to retire the previous year. "I phoned [then-CBS CEO Les Moonves] just before the program, and I said 'Leslie, it's been great, you've been great, and the network has been great, but I'm retiring," he said at the time.He joked in a 2017 interview that he was "fired" but conceded, "If anybody [messed] me up, it was me, by getting old and stupid."David Letterman on Colbert cancellation: 'Gutless'At the time of Colbert's ousting, Letterman condemned the move as "pure cowardice" and "gutless." The comedian continued to vent in an interview with The New York Times published May 5.Letterman suggested Colbert "was dumped because the people selling the network to Skydance said, 'Oh no, there's not going to be any trouble with that guy. We're going to take care of the show. We're just going to throw that into the deal. When will the ink on the check dry?'"Letterman added to journalist Jason Zinoman, "I'm just going to go on record as saying: They're lying. Let me just add one other thing, Jason. They're lying weasels."Letterman first returned to "Late Show" in 2023, and even sat behind the desk for old times' sake.Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
