Democrats Criticize CBS Over Colbert’s Late Show Cancellation

Topline

Several Congressional Democrats criticized CBS and its parent company, Paramount, over their decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” questioning the timing of the move, which came just days after the comedian criticized the media giant over its decision to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during Thursday’s show.

CBS via Getty Images

Key Facts

On Thursday, CBS and Paramount executives announced that the network plans to end Colbert’s late-night talk show and “retire” the ‘The Late Show’ franchise in May 2026.

The network executives said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and added, “It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount.”

Colbert addressed the cancellation in a monologue just before the show began on Thursday night, expressing his gratitude to the audience, the network, and the show’s 200 staffers.

The announcement of the cancellations drew boos from the audience, prompting Colbert to say: “Yeah, I share your feelings.”

The comedian said being the host of “The Late Show” was a “fantastic job” and he wished “somebody else was getting it.”

How Have Democratic Lawmakers And Trump Critics Reacted?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote on X, “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. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” In May, Warren opened a bribery investigation into Paramount’s actions to probe if its settlement with Trump could be viewed as a quid pro quo arrangement to influence the president to approve their pending merger with Skydance. Sen. Adam Schiff, who was a guest on Colbert’s show on Thursday, tweeted: “Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert, who announced his show was cancelled. If Paramount and CBS ended The Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said: “Colbert’s show was canceled three days after he called out Paramount, CBS’s parent company, for folding to Trump with a $16M settlement for a lawsuit that even they called ‘without merit.’ People deserve to know if this is a politically motivated attack on free speech.” Former GOP Rep. and prominent Trump critic Adam Kinzinger urged his followers to cancel their Paramount Plus subscriptions. Colbert’s fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who has also feuded with Trump in the past, also hit out at CBS in his Instagram stories, saying: “Love you Stephen. Fuck you and all your Sheldons CBS.”

What Do We Know About Colbert’s Segment Calling Out Paramount?

In his first show this week after returning from a break, Colbert called out his network’s parent company in his opening monologue, saying Paramount agreed to the settlement despite previously stating in court filings that Trump’s case was “completely without merit.” “Now, I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles. It’s big fat bribe.” Colbert added: “Paramount’s owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance.” During his monologue, Colbert also cracked jokes about reports which said the network’s “new owner’s desire to please Trump could put pressure” on him and his show.

Key Background

Earlier this month, Paramount announced it had reached a settlement with President Donald Trump to resolve a lawsuit he filed against the network over a CBS News 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that aired last year. Trump had claimed CBS News edited the interview to make the Democratic presidential candidate’s replies appear more competent. Paramount said it would pay $16 million to Trump’s future presidential library, but the settlement would not include any “statement of apology or regret.” As part of the settlement, Paramount also agreed that 60 Minutes will release transcripts of all future interviews it conducts with presidential candidates. CBS’ lawyers had previously argued that Trump’s case, claiming $20 billion in damages, was “completely without merit.” However, reports suggested that Paramount’s chair, Shari Redstone, was keen to settle as the company needed federal approval to complete its multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media.