July 18, 2025

Stephen Colbert Late Show Canceled - Reactions and Analysis

Show Notes
Transcript

The Controversial Cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
In this Friday afternoon bonus edition of Daily Comedy News, hosted by Johnny Mac, the focus is entirely on the recent cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' The episode delves into reactions from various personalities, including former President Donald Trump, the Writer's Guild of America, and notable celebrities. The cancellation has sparked allegations of political motives linked to a controversial settlement with Trump. Statements from CBS and industry insiders are dissected, raising questions about the true reasons behind the show's end. Further commentary from media experts and celebrities adds to the complexity of the ongoing debate.

01:03 Writer's Guild of America Statement
02:35 CBS's Official Statement
02:55 Analysis of CBS's Statement
03:50 Bill Carter's Insights
05:33 Reactions from the Internet
08:29 Media and Legal Perspectives
12:27 Johnny Mac's Personal Take and Conclusion

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WEBVTT

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Callarogas shark media. On social media, Donald John Trump posted,

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I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was

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even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is

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next has even less talent than Colbert. Greg Gutfeld is

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better than all of them combined, including the more on

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on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show. Hello,

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I'm Johnny Mack. This is the Friday afternoon bonus edition

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of Daily Comedy News. This episode is entirely about Colbert

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quick housekeeping. The normal episodes will come out at the

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normal time Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and those are Colbert less,

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although I can tell you in the Saturday morning episode,

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I pointed out that Colbert didn't have any good monologue

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jokes this week. I recorded that before the news dropped

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around that I'm going to do these Colbert specific bonus episodes.

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There will be another one of these on Saturday. There

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will be another one of these on Sunday, and we'll

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take it from there. For this episode, I'm going to

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capture all the reactions. Let's start with the Writer's Guilds

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of America. They put out a statement on July second,

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Paramount agreed to settle a baseless lawsuit brought against sixty

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minutes in CBS News by President Trump for sixteen million dollars.

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On July fifteenth, during a regular show of The Late

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Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert went on air and called

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the settlements a quote big fat bribe unquote in exchange

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for a favorable decision on the proposed merger between Paramount

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and Skydants, a charge currently under investigation in California. Less

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than forty eight hours later, on July seventeenth, Paramount canceled

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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a show currently performing

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first in its time slot, giving vague references to the

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program's financial performance as the only explanation. For ten years,

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the show has been one of the most successful, beloved,

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and profitable programs on CBS, entertaining an audience of millions

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on late night television, on streaming services, and across social media.

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Given Paramount's recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS

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News lawsuit, the Writer's Skill of America has significant concerns

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that the Late Show's cancelation as a bribe, sacrificing free

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speech to curry favor with the Trump administration as the

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company looks for merger approval. The statement continues, cancelations are

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part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show

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in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure

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is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society. Skipping ahead,

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the Writers Guild of America calls on New York State

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Attorney General Letitia James, no stranger to prosecuting Trump for

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illegal business practices, to join California and launch an investigation

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into potential wrongdoing at paramount. CBS had a statement. It reads,

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the Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its historic

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run in May twenty twenty six, at the end of

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the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will

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retire the Late Show franchise at that time. We are

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proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast

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will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced

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late night television. Now, let me pick that statement apart. Okay,

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so why are you bringing up if this is about finances,

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why are you saying we consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable. Stephen

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Colbert is replaceable. David Letterman was replaceable Johnny Carson was replaceable,

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Jack Parr was replaceable. Stephen Colbert is replaceable. But if

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you're ending the franchise over money, why you're bringing up

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that there is no franchise with which to replace him

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unless you're suggesting or your words are ahead of your brain,

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and there's it was a scenario where you had the

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Late Show without Stephen Colbert, perhaps possibly maybe who knows,

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for political reasons that you wanted Colbert out? Maybe so

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your deal gets through. Perhaps possibly maybe I don't know.

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I don't work for CBS or Paramount or Skydance. I

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don't know, but we consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and we'll

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retire the Late Show franchise at that time. Why are

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you bringing that up? Very strange. Latenighter dot Com will

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be a great resource during all this. Bill Carter is

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the author of The Late Shift, quite possibly the world's

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foremost expert in late night television. Bill Carter rights on

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Late Night Er under the headline CBS sites costing Colbert cancelation.

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The timing tells a different story. Bill writes. Trump has

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a long standing animist toward Colbert. Last September, he called

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him a complete and total loser, not funny, and all

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caps very boring. He literally called for CBS to quote

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terminate his contract unquote. He also has a history of

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threatening the licenses of broadcast networks with late night hosts

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who make fun of him. That didn't face Colbert, who

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has shown no signs of tempering his nightly puncturing of Trump.

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He returned from vacation this past Monday and labeled the

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CBS to ole to pay Trump off instead of fighting

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the sixty minute suit a big fat bribe. For all

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those reasons, it's hard to accept the stated reasoning behind

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today's announcement at face value. Bill points out that at

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the start of the twenty four to twenty five season,

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NBC reacted to economic pressure by dropping one night of

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The Tonight Show from five to four and eliminating the

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band on the Seth Meyers Show. Bill Carter writes, but

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CBS didn't try any of those cost saving moves, or

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any cost saving moves at all. It's simply cut off

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the franchise of the neck. It seems especially a considering

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that CBS earlier this year had quietly renewed its twelve

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thirty five AM show after midnight and only reversed course

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when Taylor Thomlinson quit the show. All of which is

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to say, as it's just a few months ago, every

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indication was that CBS intended to maintain its two hour

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late night block into the foreseeable future. Something happened to

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change that. Did the cost situation become completely untenable or

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was it Colbert's Trump centric comedy that became completely unacceptable. Separately,

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I've seen Bill Carter quoted in the Washington Post as saying,

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if CBS thinks for people just going to swallow this,

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they're really deluded. Some reactions from around the internet. Joe

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Scarborough said, it's terrible because you had the settlement with

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Donald Trump, and then you had Colbert and John Stewart

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criticizing that decision. Then a week later they're saying, oh, unfortunately,

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we don't have the money to continue this. You can

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make that economic argument, but that economic argument should have

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been made weeks before this, or should have been made

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a couple months down the road. This just makes it

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look completely connected with the sixty minute settlement. Senator Elizabeth

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Warren said CBS canceled Colbert's show just three days after

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Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its sixteen

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million dollars settlement with Trump, a deal that looks like bribery.

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America deserves to know if his show was canceled for

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political reasons. Severance actor Adam Scott posted, love you, Steven.

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This is absolute BS and I for one, I'm looking

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forward to the next ten months of shows. Ben Stiller

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tweeted sorry to hear CBS is canceling one of the

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best shows they have, wishing all the people who work

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so hard on that show all the best. Anderson Cooper

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on CNN said Stephen Colbert is smart, and he's funny

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and has actual conversations with people on his program XCM

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and reporter Jim Acosta commented on the story with the

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image of Marsha Brady from The Brady Bunch doing the shore.

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Jan Judd Apatow on Instagram, My admiration and appreciation for

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you is bottomless excited to see what other brilliants who

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put into the world. Katie Couric said, I'm so upset

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about this. I need more information. Rachel Ziegler said, I

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am extremely sad. I adore you, Steven. John Patiste, who

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used to lead Colbert's band, called him the greatest to

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ever do it. On Instagram, author Stephen King said Colbert canceled,

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Please tell me it's a joke. Jamie Lee Curtis was

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on the Red carpet and was asked about it, and

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she said it's bad. They're trying to silence people. John

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Cusack shared a clip of Stephen Colbert on social media

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and wrote, he's not groveling enough to American fascism. Larry

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Ellison needs his tax cuts, doesn't need comedians reminding people

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they're not cattle. Bernie Sanders said CBS's billionaire owners paid

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Trump sixteen million dollars to set all a Bobus lawsuit

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while trying to sell the network to sky Dance. Stephen Colbert,

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an extraordinary talent, the most popular late night host, slams

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the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this

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is a coincidence? No? All caps. Andy Cohen said it's

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a sad day for late night television. I think it's

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a sad day for CBS. I think Stephen Colbert is

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a singular talent. He's going to have an incredible next chapter.

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I can't believe CBS is turning off the lights at

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eleven thirty after the local news. I'm stunned he's one

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of three late night shows deep worthy enough for an

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Emmy nomination. He produces a brilliant show. Bill Burr posted

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on thread sad news about Colbert, but I'm sure it's

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purely a financial descis It's not like CBS whatever, cancel

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a comedy show for political reasons, and he included an

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image of the Smothers brothers below that. Jimmy Fallon said

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he was just as shocked as everyone. I really thought

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I'd ride this out with him for years to come.

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Seth Meyers said, for as great as a comedian host

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he is, Colbert was an even better person and joke

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that Colbert can no longer use the excuse that he's

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too busy to hang out. Jimmy Kimmel went on Instagram

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and wrote, love you, Stephen, f you and all your

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Sheldon's CBS. The New York Times writes executive stressed in

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the announcement that the cut was purely a financial decision.

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The Times asked, is that the truth or merely truthy?

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They then talk about the settlements and write many legal

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experts said the deal was an unnecessary concession and a

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frivolous case. At minimum, it undermined one of TV journalism's

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most accomplished independent voices, that being sixty minutes, talk show

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hosts have bit in the hand that signs the contracts.

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Before Lutterman needled NBC and it's then parent, General Electric.

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But back then the issues didn't involve conflicts with a press.

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Is it willing to pull any necessary levers to punish

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and influence media outlets? Now? Paramount wants to assure us

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that the cancelation of one of the president's most famous

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critics is totally coincidentally business, and sure it absolutely could be.

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The Independent wrote that they understand Colbert's program had become

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costly to run over the years, and it was potentially

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a dream on the network's bottom line, but many people

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working at CBS don't fully believe the narrative. One senior

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staffer at CBS told The Independent that no one at

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the network is buying that it's a financial decision, adding

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that the demise of the flagship left everyone stunned, including

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famous comedians that the source said they knew. Another staffer

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told The Independent how that they had been told the

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show had been on the chopping block for a few

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years because it was very expensive to produce, but at

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the same time didn't think that was the reason for

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the sudden announcement. A staffer said, many of us think

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this was part and parcel of the Trump shakedown settlement.

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USA today wonders if Colbert can't survive this this landscape,

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it's not clear if anyone can. According to Late Nighter

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dot Com, Late Show was leading the pack in ratings

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with an average of two point four to one to

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seven million viewers for the three months that in June.

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Kimmel and Fallon were far behind, averaging one point seventy

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seven and one point nine respectively. Well, tonight, youoent third place,

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but discuss that at a different time. Cnn I talked

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about the financial picture. They quote Guideline and add data

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firm that estimates that the network at late night shows

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earned a four hundred and thirty nine million dollars in

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AD revenue in twenty eighteen and only two hundred and

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twenty million in twenty twenty four, decline a fifty percent.

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CBS had been worried about the dynamics for months, even

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the last few years, according to two people familiar with

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the situation, While Colbert was officially told Wednesday. Apparently, executives

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have been talking about the costs for several weeks, now

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holding off on final judgment to allow Stephen Colbert and

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the staff to enjoy the July fourth hiatus. Variety says.

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One of the sources say executives didn't want to force

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a pay cut or call for trims, and couldn't look

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away from declines and ad support for the entire format.

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They point out CBS treated Colbert a lot like his predecessor,

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Letterman wasn't always eager to take on product placement projects

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or produce sitcoms or game shows, and CBS respected the

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decision because of his standing. They felt the same way

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about Colbert, and yet rivals were picking up many more

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of these projects, like a bar sponsored by Anheuser Busch

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and Heineken that had a prominent place on Cordon. Kimmel

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has long embraced doing commercials in show. Fallon takes part

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in an ad deal with Ford Motor Company. Those extras

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help the network and make the host more of a

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full time ambassador, according to one person familiar with the

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mechanics of late night television. Variety points out people familiar

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with the matter, say, the Colbert CBS relationship was never

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a tense one, and no Colbert eagerly took on whatever

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extra duties the network suggested. He helped launch a comedic

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sports special built around pickleball, and took a hand in

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producing After Midnight and promoting Taylor Tomlinson. And this is

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very interesting. While the decision may look like blowback for

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Colbert's commentary, executives weren't prepared to make a move in

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May when they could have used it to win extra

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ad support in the industry's annual upfront ad sales. More

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and they didn't want to make it without speaking to

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Colbert directly, something they didn't want to do while he

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was on vacation. But they couldn't wait, say, till the

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start of next TV season. Late night writers and producers

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typically signed one year deals August to August. When contracts

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tied to the twenty twenty five twenty twenty six programming

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cycle went out to agents, they would only keep people

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employed through May. CBS executives knew the news of the

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decision would leak and quickly, so they had to make

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the move. My take all right, loudly and clearly. I'm

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on Team Colbert and all this. This is terrible. It's

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a shame that the Late Show franchise is ending after

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thirty years, really terrible. I like Colbert. He seems to

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be a good guy. I've only heard great things about him,

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never met him, But I've never seen one bad word

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about Colbert. Of the timing, Yeah, it does seem suspicious.

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On the other hand, I've been a longtime media executive,

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and I'll talk about this more over the weekend. There

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are some bonus episodes coming about this topic. If the

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show's losing like forty million dollars a year, why wouldn't

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you just error prices right rerun? I mean, seriously, it's

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a busy this at the end of the day that

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many fewer people going to watch a you know, they're

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on a Seinfeld rerun, they're on a Big Bang Theory rerun.

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It probably won't do all that worse. And the other one,

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I'd have to ask everyone, when's the last time you

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watched The Late Show with Stephen Colbert? Now, maybe for

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you personally listener last night might be the answer. I

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think for me, and I like the guy, and I

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like the idea. I think, honestly, the last time I

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watched The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was his first night.

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It's just I don't watch. As much as I love

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Late Night, I don't watch any of it live. I'm

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not up at eleven thirty, and if I am, I'm

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not watching live TV. So you know, times change. This

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is very painful for all of us. But and again

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I am suspicious. My spidy sense is screaming like everyone else.

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But that aside, it's not the craziest idea to just,

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like I said, just to air Price's right reruns. All right,

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that is your bonus episode for Friday afternoon. Like I said,

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normal episode in on Saturday morning. I won't talk about

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this at all. Was already recorded before any of this

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news break Saturday afternoon. At some point there'll be another

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bonus episode. I'll schedule it for noon Eastern. So at

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noon Eastern, you've got a Saturday bonus episode Sunday morning,

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a normal Sunday episode already in the can. I won't

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talk about Colbert at all. Sunday at noon, another bonus

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episode about Colbert. All right, appreciate you listening.