Stephen Colbert’s Late Show has been canceled, and Senator Elizabeth Warren was among many Democratic representatives who took to X to demand answers from Paramount on whether this was politically motivated, calling the settlement they made “a deal that looks like bribery.”
Per multiple sources, Stephen Colbert’s situation had been in jeopardy for a while, but the timing — which he ultimately chose — made everything much worse than it could have been. First of all, The Late Show was a format created and cultivated over decades by the legendary David Letterman, and when it came time for his retirement, Stephen Colbert was chosen as the ultimate successor.
At the time, Colbert — a mentee of the equally funny Jon Stewart— was best known for his biting satirical show The Colbert Report, which lampooned a far-right wing point of view perfectly. When he was announced as the next host of The Late Show, his fans expected him to continue a version of that persona. While this caused a division in his fanbase, he chose to be more reserved, more interested in creating a conducive environment for thoughtful interviews. Who can forget that Andrew Garfield interview on grief? Colbert focused on helping his guests make the best out of their short stints on the show. There’s no doubt there was never a better interviewer in the late-night slot than Stephen Colbert.
But everything changed within days after two seismic opening monologues. The first addressed how Trump had been harassing CBS in court over a Kamala Harris interview he claimed was edited to favor her. Trump alleged CBS edited the 60 Minutes interview unfairly, while CBS called it a frivolous lawsuit — but they still settled for $16 million. Now, it’s an entirely different world where even Rupert Murdoch’s WSJ has no qualms criticizing Trump despite their previously warm relationship.
Stephen Colbert expressed disappointment in his parent company’s decision to settle with Trump, despite it being “meritless.” He even cracked a great joke that Paramount, which produced Transformers, would know meritless when they see it. Soon after, Colbert used his monologue to announce that this coming May he would forever leave the show, with CBS not even replacing him but canceling the show altogether. It was only reasonable to assume that these closely sequenced monologues and the cancellation were related.
CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 18, 2025
America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.
Watch and share his message. pic.twitter.com/Rz7HcWFLYM
Paramount replied via a statement obtained by Indiewire, assuring that the decision was purely financial and that no political interests were involved. Hollywood finance site Puck backed this claim, adding that The Late Show was reportedly losing about $40 million a year for CBS, making it financially reasonable to pull the plug. Colbert chose to announce the news immediately upon hearing it, reportedly to avoid leaks to the media. That “immediately” just happened to be right after he criticized his employers. What a coincidence. And it certainly doesn’t help that Trump is already celebrating the decisions and suggesting replacements.
Donald Trump says he’s happy Stephen Colbert’s late night show is being cancelled:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 18, 2025
“His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.” pic.twitter.com/BGu4aNjMDL
All that said, comedians often deliver their best work in their final months of late-night. So buckle up, folks, and tune in to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert while you still can.
