Was Stephen Colbert Silenced? “The Late Show” Canceled After Trump Settlement With CBS Parent Company
by Amiya Nandy in Entertainment, News on July 18, 2025A day after Stephen Colbert spoke out in an episode on the issue of a $16 million settlement between Paramount and Donald Trump, he was informed that The Late Show was cancelled. According to CBS, this decision was made “only for financial reasons.” Yet, not everyone believes that statement is convincing enough.
Abrupt Departure of Late-Night’s Most Incisive Voice
Colbert shared the information about the end of the show on Thursday’s taping and disclosed that the news was most recently communicated to him by the network the day before.
“Yes, indeed, I would agree with your feelings,” he replied as reports came from the audience.
For a host who has steadily been leading the late-night ratings in 2025 — the smallest group of people in terms of television viewers — it is astonishing to know about the circumstances, which seem quite suspicious. Especially so when one is reminded of his recent monologue referring to Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump as “a big fat bribe.”
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The Behind-the-Scene Politics?
Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is in the process of closing an $8 billion deal to merge with Skydance. The lawsuit which Trump filed against the CBS 60 Minutes show was one of the things that caused the deal to get stuck for a long time, but now that the lawsuit has been settled by Paramount it will be an easier way for the merger to be made.
And then Colbert spoke out, that is.
And now, his show is no longer among the ones listed.
Although CBS states that the program’s termination was due to budget constraints, the public and representatives are expressing their doubts in a coordinated manner.
Senators Call for Action
According to Senator Elizabeth Warren, the deal between Paramount and Trump was tantamount to “a payoff” and she cautioned that the decision to cancel The Late Show raises the “serious questions about corporate influence over speech.”
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On the other hand, Senator Adam Schiff called for CBS to come out openly and explain the situation: “What if this was politically motivated, in which case, the American people should have full transparency?”
It’s not just that the end of a late-night show is a concern but that fact that a host, who is the main critic of the political system and who is critical of the government every night, is being removed from the scene with hardly a whisper.
Trump is Jubilant; Fans are Mourning
Truth Social, ex-president Trump’s own platform, was the place where he was seen basking in the glory of Colbert’s termination — Trump also referred to the comedian as “undeserving” and “poorly rated” — despite Nielsen numbers indicating Colbert remains the leader in network TV viewership.
The viewers, however, are generally very unhappy with this state of affairs. Very soon after the initial news, the internet was were #ThankYouColbert and #SaveTheLateShow were trending on X. The reaction on the internet was disbelief that an influential — and still culturally relevant — host would be terminated even though he still is operating at the top of his game.
A Cultural Revolution or Business Tactics?
The late-night shows have for years been in red, but the suddenness of Colbert’s departure, particularly following a political-themed jab at the issuer of his network’s parent company, is triggering a lot of concern over the editorial freedom in the private sector media.
What occurs at the time when comedians who are most often the only ones brave enough to challenge the set limits of journalists get shut down not necessarily for lower ratings but for targeting the wrong party?
The question that nobody at CBS seems to have an answer to at present is, What will happen next?
As of now, The Late Show is predicted to complete their last season until May of 2026. A follow-up has not been indicated. Regarding Colbert’s future, if he is staying, no such information has been issued neither officially nor unofficially.
Nevertheless, it is clear that the situation is not limited to mere cancellation, but provokes a number of changes – mainly in the field of political comedy and perhaps even in the media.
