Stephen Colbert’s announcement at the top of his show on Thursday that “The Late Show” will end in May 2026 was met with skepticism — and, indeed, outrage — from those who saw the decision as being politically motivated.
CBS and its parent company, Paramount, insist the move was “purely a financial decision” made amid a challenging late-night landscape; Colbert had helmed the highest-rated show in his time slot. Executives called him “irreplaceable” and said the franchise itself would be retired.
But critics, and even some CBS staff, aren’t buying it. The announcement came just days after Colbert torched Paramount on air for paying Donald Trump $16 million to settle a $20 billion lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview. In Monday’s monologue, Colbert called the settlement “a big, fat bribe,” adding: “As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. And I don’t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company — but just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”
According to The Independent, several CBS insiders described the network’s public explanation as implausible. No one at the network “is buying that it’s a financial decision,” one senior staffer told The Independent. Another said that many viewed the cancellation as “part and parcel of the Trump shakedown settlement,” referencing Trump’s ongoing pressure campaign against perceived media enemies. On Thursday, Trump threatened to sue the Wall Street Journal for publishing a story about a letter he allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein; at the same time, the Republican Senate voted to slash funding to NPR and PBS.
Paramount also has a pending merger with Skydance Media, which requires FCC approval.
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Other prominent figures echoed the outrage. Jimmy Kimmel posted, “Love you Stephen. F**k you and all your Sheldons CBS,” while Elizabeth Warren demanded answers: “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after he called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” MSNBC’s Chris Hayes put it bluntly: “Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country’s leader on TV without repercussions.”
What led to Paramount’s move reflects “an extraordinary level of eagerness by top brass to grovel at the feet of this president as he targets his perceived enemies,” according to Inae Oh, writing in Mother Jones. She noted that Shari Redstone, Paramount’s chairwoman, reportedly urged CBS to avoid negative Trump coverage until after the merger. Colbert’s cancellation, she warned, “signals a dark new chapter in Trump’s authoritarian slide.”
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