Stephen Colbert and the End of the Late Show

The news last night that CBS was ending The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was a major bombshell.

The show will end May 2026. No one else is coming in to take over as host. The program that began with David Letterman in 1993 will simply come to an end.

Colbert said, "It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away."

In a statement, CBS said "This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."

To quote Harry Vanderspiegel from Resident Alien, "This is some bullshit!" 

Yes, network late nite TV is indeed not what it once was. Real time viewing figures have dropped precipitously. Late night talk shows have seen cuts from 5 nights a week to 4 and last year, Late Nite With Seth Meyers lost it's house band.  

But while the form of late night TV may be dying, it is not dead yet and among those shows,  The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was a ratings leader.  It has been #1 in late night television for 9 straight seasons. 

If indeed it is "purely a financial decision", why were there no efforts to cut costs at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert? Asking Colbert to take a pay cut or change up the format of the show or moving to a less expensive facility than the Ed Sullivan Theater or something instead of shutting down the whole franchise.

One answer everyone is coming to is:  retribution.

So consider this sequence of events:

1) Last year 60 Minutes invited then Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to sit down for extended interviews. Harris accepted but Trump declined, mostly citing that  60 Minutes was a big ol' meany who was unfair to Trump or whatever bullshit Li'l Donnie offered up when he's being a big ol' cowardly man baby.   

2) 60 Minutes aired the Harris interview and Trump immediately cried foul, that the interview had been edited to make her look good which was unfair to Li'l Donnie. Wah! Wah! Wah! He sued CBS. 

There were some edits made for timing and clarity but nothing to alter the content of the interview. The general consensus was that this was a frivolous lawsuit brought because it hurt Li'l Donnie's feelings, nothing a moderately talented and modestly compensated legal team couldn't rip to shreds.

3) Meanwhile, CBS parent Paramount is looking at a merger with Skydance Media, a merger that needs approval by the FCC. 

Fuck! Trump wins the election and Trump friendly appointees join the FCC and notice the pending Paramount/Skydance merger. Nice little merger you have here. Shame if something happens to it.

4) Paramount settles the completely baseless Trump lawsuit to the tune of $16 million plus a commitment to provide time on Paramount platforms for Trump favorable content. 

5) Longtime Trump critic Stephen Colbert (along with fellow Paramount employee Jon Stewart of The Daily Show) speaks out against the settlement as an egregious act of cowardice.

6) Here's an odd coincidence: a few days later, CBS says it's time for Stephen Colbert and the entire Late Show to go.

"Purely a financial decision" my ass! 

This is retribution by Paramount, Skydance and that goddam motherfucker Donald Trump.

In a comment on this situation, Jon Stewart conceded that he and/or The Daily Show could be next. 

The dark days under Trump 2.0 just keep getting darker.