Stephen Colbert Addresses Claims About The Late Show Being Canceled For Political Reasons: ‘My Side Of The Street Is Clean’

by

Earlier this year, CBS and its parent company, Paramount, announced they were ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, marking the end of a long-running television program. The news sparked a lot of reaction, with many viewers upset about the cancellation. While CBS and Paramount said the decision was due to financial reasons, some people believe it was influenced by political factors. Now, Stephen Colbert is addressing the speculation surrounding the show’s end.

Much of the talk about why The Late Show was cancelled centers on its timing, shortly after Paramount Global finished dealing with a significant legal issue. The company had just settled a $16 million lawsuit brought by former President Donald Trump related to an interview with Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes. Experts believed resolving this lawsuit was the last step needed for regulators to approve the merger between Paramount and Skydance, which has now been completed.

Stephen Colbert publicly criticized a legal settlement, and shortly after, his show was canceled. He recently discussed this experience with GQ, noting that many, including politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff, believed the cancellation was connected to the President. While Colbert, known for his criticism of Donald Trump, doesn’t necessarily agree, he understands why people might think so.

It’s easy to see why people reacted strongly when CBS – or its parent company – decided to pay $16 million to the President to settle a lawsuit their own legal team believed had no basis. This clearly harms the network’s and news division’s reputation. It’s hard to understand why anyone would make such a decision except to try and gain favor with one person. Given that CBS did this once before, it’s understandable why some might suspect my involvement.

Jimmy Kimmel and Bowen Yang were among those disappointed to hear The Late Show was ending. While some speculate politics played a role in the cancellation, Stephen Colbert has stated he doesn’t intend to take sides in the discussion.

I’m taking care of my own responsibilities, and I’m not going to get involved with whatever’s happening on the other side of things. Let people speculate if they want. I have my reasons for not continuing with the show, but the network would need to demonstrate how continuing would be beneficial for me over the next nine months before I’d even consider discussing those reasons.

The Writers Guild of America is asking for a review of why the CBS talk show was canceled. At the same time, reports have emerged suggesting the show, hosted by Stephen Colbert, had been losing millions of dollars in advertising revenue over the past few years. Jimmy Kimmel has challenged these reports. David Ellison, the new head of Paramount Skydance, is currently making changes, and Colbert has been reflecting on his working relationship with his superiors.

I’ve always had a good working relationship with CBS, which made their recent decision so unexpected. We regularly discussed budgets and even made cuts together, so I was truly surprised. As I said on air the night I found out, I felt I needed to be honest about it immediately. CBS has been a fantastic partner and consistently supportive.

The Late Show will end in May 2026, but it’s already achieved a significant milestone: winning its first Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Talk Series this fall. With discussions about the show’s cancellation ongoing, Stephen Colbert has stated his goal is simply to conclude the show successfully and leave a lasting positive impression.

New episodes of The Late Show air weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on CBS amid the 2025 TV schedule.

Read More

2025-11-03 20:11