The Real Reasons Why Craig Ferguson Is Leaving CBS



When Craig Ferguson announced yesterday that he would be "consciously uncoupling" from CBS" come December, some Ferguson fans felt as though the decision was related to him being passed over as David Letterman’s Late Show successor, in favor of Stephen Colbert. But in a new interview, Ferguson claims that there are multiple reasons for his exit from CBS—none of which relate to him feeling as though he was dissed by the network.

"It wasn’t contentious," Ferguson tells Varity of the upcoming split. "I was just like, ‘I feel like I’m done.’" In fact, Ferguson claims that he had begun working out the details of his CBS departure before Letterman even announced his own retirement earlier this month. "It’s an inevitable thing when David announced his retirement, people are going to say, ‘Oh he’s leaving because of that.’ No matter what I say or what I do, they’re gonna say that."
The truth, Ferguson claims, is that, "Ten years is a very long time in one job—for me. I wanted to leave the show before I stopped enjoying it. That was my goal. I didn’t want it to be a chore. . . . The whole idea is that show business should have some adventure to it, I think." He even goes so far as to claim that he never had his eye on inheriting Letterman’s Late Show (even though he had a clause in his contract stipulating that if he did not succeed Letterman, he would receive a sizable payout from CBS.)

"I had no desire—none—to do that job," Ferguson tells the trade. "I could barely keep it together at 12:30, never mind 11:30. Nobody wants to hear [that though]. It’s so bizarre. People want it to be Jay and Dave or Jay and Conan or some kind of big story. That’s not me, that’s not what I want."

As for what Ferguson will do next—it most likely will not be late-night television. "I don’t know if I would ever do a late-night talk show (again). It just doesn’t feel like that’s the way I’m headed." Among the projects he already has lined up outside of CBS: "various projects that his Green Mountain West production banner is developing for Science Channel and Discovery," as well as the game show Celebrity Name Game, which Ferguson begins in the fall as host and producer.

Craig and  one of  his  famous  and funny guests :