CBS staffers aren\u2019t buying the network\u2019s claims that the cancellation of Stephen Colbert\u2019s top-rated, late-night show<\/a> was purely a \u201cfinancial decision,\u201d but rather a continuation of the \u201cTrump shakedown\u201d that began with parent company Paramount\u2019s settlement<\/a> of the 60 Minutes lawsuit, according to multiple sources.<\/p>\n Despite The Late Show averaging 2.4 million total viewers<\/a> <\/strong>on a nightly basis <\/strong>and handily beating rival networks\u2019 late-night competition, Paramount and CBS executives announced in a joint statement Thursday that Colbert\u2019s long-running program would come to an end next year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time,\u201d the announcement \u2013 signed by Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks, CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf \u2013 noted. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.\u201d<\/p>\n Calling it an \u201cagonizing decision,\u201d the executives added: \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Paramount and CBS executives claimed that it was a \u201cfinancial decision\u201d to cancel Stephen Colbert and had nothing to do with \u201cother matters,\u201d something CBS staffers are not buying. (CBS\/YouTube\/The Late Show)<\/p>\n The news dropped like a lead balloon for fans, who immediately groaned and booed when Colbert revealed on his show Thursday night that he would be wrapping up for good next May. \u201cI share your feelings,\u201d he said to the disappointed studio audience.<\/p>\n While the corporate bosses insist the decision was merely due to late-night television becoming unprofitable because of dwindling ad revenues and high production costs, it cannot be ignored that it comes amid Paramount\u2019s pending $8.4 billion merger with Skydance, the media and film production giant, which requires approval from the Trump administration. <\/p>\n Additionally, Colbert has been highly critical<\/a> of Paramount\u2019s settlement with Trump<\/a>, agreeing with lawmakers and journalism groups that the $16 million payment to the president to drop a lawsuit that legal experts said was \u201cfrivolous\u201d and akin to bribery.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I was on vacation, my parent corporation, Paramount, paid Donald Trump a $16 million settlement over his \u201860 Minutes\u2019 lawsuit,\u201d Colbert said Monday after returning from a multi-week break.<\/p>\n \u201cAs someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. And I don\u2019t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company, but just taking a stab at it, I\u2019d say $16 million would help,\u201d he quipped, adding that the \u201ctechnical name in legal circles\u201d for the settlement is \u201ca big, fat bribe.\u201d<\/p>\n Several network sources told The Independent that while they understand that Colbert\u2019s program had become costly to run over the years, and was potentially a drain on the network\u2019s bottom line, many people working at CBS don\u2019t fully believe the narrative coming from upper brass about the cancellation.<\/p>\n One senior staffer at CBS, for instance, said that no one at the network \u201cis buying that it’s a financial decision,\u201d adding that the demise of the CBS flagship left \u201ceveryone stunned,\u201d including \u201cfamous comedians\u201d that the source said they knew.<\/p>\n Indeed, responding to the news that his late-night rival would soon be out of a job, ABC star Jimmy Kimmel posted on Instagram<\/a>: \u201cLove you, Stephen. F*** you and all your Sheldons, CBS.\u201d<\/p>\n Another network staffer said they were told the show had been \u201con the chopping block\u201d for a few years because it was \u201cvery expensive to produce.\u201d At the same time, though, this insider said that they didn\u2019t believe this was the reason behind the sudden announcement on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cMany of us think this was part and parcel of the Trump shakedown settlement,\u201d the staffer declared. Meanwhile, The Independent has also learned that staffers at Comedy Central\u2019s The Daily Show, which is also owned by Paramount, are expressing concern that their program could be next.<\/p>\n The Independent has reached out to Paramount and CBS for comment.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n The Daily Show and host Jon Stewart could be next on the chopping block amid the Paramount merger with Skydance, staffers fear (Getty Images for Comic Relief)<\/p>\n Earlier this month, after Paramount reached its settlement with Trump, Status News\u2019 Oliver Darcy reported<\/a> that the upcoming merger with Skydance \u2013 which is led by pro-Trump billionaires Larry and David Ellison \u2013 could result in the cancelations of Colbert and Daily Show host Jon Stewart, both vocal critics of the president. Stewart, like Colbert, has also pilloried<\/a> Paramount for paying off Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat better gift could [the Ellisons] give Trump than to get rid of Colbert and Stewart?\u201d one media insider told Status.<\/p>\n Stewart, meanwhile, recently noted on his podcast that he \u201cunfortunately\u201d hasn\u2019t spoken with soon-to-be new corporate boss David Ellison or any other Skydance brass, amid rumors that he could soon be booted. \u201cI\u2019ve been kicked out of sh*ttier establishments than that. We\u2019ll land on our feet,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Amid the fallout over the Colbert announcement, Democratic lawmakers are sounding alarm bells<\/a> that the move could be politically motivated. \u201cIf Paramount and CBS ended \u2018The Late Show\u2019 for political reasons, the public deserves to know,\u201d Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, of California, who was a guest on Colbert\u2019s show Thursday night, posted on social media.<\/p>\n Echoing Schiff\u2019s sentiments, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren \u2013 who had previously warned<\/a> Paramount that it could face congressional probes for violating anti-bribery statutes \u2013 noted that the decision came \u201cjust THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Whether this move was made to appease Trump or not, the president made it clear that he was pleased with the result either way.<\/p>\n![\"Paramount](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2024-10-24-at-11.51.02.jpg\")
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