The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert—CBS insists it was purely a “financial decision,” the result of declining ad revenue in late night television. Others see it as a different kind of “financial decision,” a decision by Paramount (the parent company of CBS) to sacrifice Colbert so that the American president won’t cancel a lucrative $28-billion merger. Yesterday, David Letterman, the previous host of CBS’ The Late Show, released a 20-minute supercut featuring the many times he took CBS to task over the years. The subtext? He doesn’t seem to buy CBS’s talking points. Nor does Jon Stewart. More direct than Letterman, Stewart gives his own take on why CBS canceled Colbert: “I think the answer is in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America’s institutions at this very moment, institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful and vindictive actions of our pubic-hair-doodling commander-in-chief. This is not the moment to give in. I’m not giving in. I’m not going anywhere.” Note to reader: Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show airs on Comedy Central, which is owned by Paramount.If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, please find it here. It’s a great way to see our new posts, all bundled in one email, each day.If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, and Venmo (@openculture). Thanks!Related Content Stephen Colbert Reads Flannery O’Connor’s Darkly Comedic Story, “The Enduring Chill”Isaac Asimov Predicts the Future on The David Letterman Show (1980)Hunter S. Thompson’s Many Strange, Unpredictable Appearances on The David Letterman Show