Two Democratic senators want answers regarding the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” saying the “public deserves to know.”
Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are also speculating that the move was politically motivated, Fox News reported.
CBS announced the cancellation Thursday, the same day Schiff was a guest on the show. The senator posted to X afterward.
“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,” Schiff posted.
Warren chimed in and wondered if the $16 million settlement with CBS made with President Donald Trump played a role in the decision.
“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,” she wrote “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons. Watch and share his message.”
Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe.”
“Some of the TV typers out there are blogging that once Skydance gets CBS, the new owners’ desire to please Trump will ‘put pressure on late-night host and frequent Trump critic Stephen Colbert,’” Colbert said. “OK, but how are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert… if they can’t find him?”
CBS said the move was “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.”
The show will end in May 2026.
The pending merger between Paramount and Skydance Media later this year has left people wondering what would happen to Paramount-owned late-night programs. This includes “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.
Trump sued CBS on the basis of “election interference” over an interview on “60 Minutes” with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump pointed out the show’s editing of the interview was not fair.
Colbert replaced David Letterman as host in 2015. Letterman started “Late Night” in 1993.
