All-star roster of comedians show solidarity with Stephen Colbert in first ‘Late Show' after cancellation
NBC's Jimmy Fallon, HBO's John Oliver, and Comedy Central's Jon Stewart were among the faces in the 'Late Show' crowd during a spoof of the now-famous 'Coldplay cam.'
The fellow comedians didn't speak and they didn't have to: Being there was the point.
The 'Late Show' cancellation raised concerns about the future of late-night comedy — and about something bigger. Are big TV networks going to keep supporting political satire and free speech at a time when President Trump's campaign of retribution is rattling corporate America?
'Some people see this show going away as a sign of something truly dire,' Colbert acknowledged Monday night.
'And while I am a big fan of me, I don't necessarily agree with that statement,' he said. 'Because we here at 'The Late Show' never saw our job as changing anything other than how you felt at the end of the day.'
He also made some jokes about CBS saying the show was ending for 'purely financial' reasons. Through humor, he raised an eyebrow at news reports about the show becoming unprofitable, though he didn't directly dispute that.
'Folks, I'm going to go ahead and say it: Cancel culture has gone too far,' he quipped.
After the 'Coldplay cam' spoof, which was led by Lin-Manuel Miranda and 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Colbert pretended that CBS had just cancelled the song because it lost money.
The cameos were a testament to Colbert's long-lasting relationships in the TV industry. Fallon and his NBC colleague Seth Meyers were seated together. Bravo late-night host Andy Cohen sat with his best friend, CNN's Anderson Cooper. Actors Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald were there with Robert Smigel and his Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
Beyond the partisan arguments about whether anti-Trump comics are funny is a broader fear about institutions caving to Trump and removing room for dissent.
There is a long history of American TV networks giving comics space to poke politicians and even network executives in the eye, despite the potential ramifications. Fans feel that tradition is under threat now.
Outside the 'Late Show' studio, the Ed Sullivan Theater, on Monday, pro-Colbert and anti-Trump protesters held up signs criticizing CBS for cancelling the show. One sign read, 'Silencing comedians is no joke.' Another read, 'Colbert forever.'
Stewart spoke out about it from his own television perch, 'The Daily Show,' on Monday night. Both shows are owned by the same company, Paramount Global, which has been in a perilous political position in recent months. Colbert catapulted to fame on Stewart's show twenty years ago; the two men have remained friends ever since; and Stewart is now an executive producer of Colbert's 'Late Show,' so he has some visibility into the situation.
'If you're trying to figure out why Stephen's show is ending, I don't think the answer can be found in some smoking gun email or phone call from Trump to CBS executives, or in CBS's QuickBooks spreadsheets on the financial health of late night,' Stewart said on-air.
'I think the answer in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America's institutions at this very moment — institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful and vindictive actions of our pubic hair-doodling commander in chief,' he said.
Stewart, whose 'Daily Show' contract expires at the end of this year, added, 'This is not the moment to give in. I'm not giving in! I'm not going anywhere — I think.'
Stewart also had a profane message for Paramount and other media companies: 'If you believe, as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous, that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar, why will anyone watch you, and you are f***ing wrong.'
'The Late Show' has been a cornerstone of the CBS programming schedule for decades, so fans and industry followers were shocked when the network announced its cancellation last Thursday.
Top executives at CBS said it was an 'agonizing' decision but one that was unrelated to 'other matters happening at Paramount.' In other words, the merger.
Paramount has been attempting to merge with Skydance Media, which means billions of dollars and some big egos are on the line. However, the deal requires approval from the Trump administration, and the review process has been taking longer than usual, which has raised concerns about political interference.
Earlier this month, while Colbert and 'The Late Show' were on a mid-summer break, Paramount settled Trump's legally dubious lawsuit against CBS News by agreeing to pay $16 million toward his future presidential library.
The settlement was widely criticized, and Colbert joined the chorus when he returned from vacation last week, likening the payoff to a 'big fat bribe.'
Two days after that telecast, Colbert was informed that CBS was retiring 'The Late Show' franchise. The move will take effect next May, when Colbert's contract expires and the broadcast TV season ends.
Colbert referred to the settlement again on Monday night's show. He cited the media leaks indicating that the 'Late Show' was losing 'between $40 million and $50 million a year.'
'Forty million's a big number,' Colbert said. 'I could see us losing $24 million, but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million… oh, yeah.'
Meantime, the founding host of 'The Late Show,' David Letterman, weighed in on the franchise's retirement on Monday by publishing to his YouTube channel a 20-minute highlight reel of his past jokes about CBS. The video caption read: 'You can't spell CBS without BS.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ben Askren finally released from hospital after double lung transplant, near-fatal illness
UFC veteran Ben Askren has been released from the hospital after his battle with severe pneumonia. Askren, 40, spoke for the first time since his hospitalization earlier this month after he received a double lung transplant as a result of the sudden illness, which was first revealed in June. In his first video update, Askren revealed that he lost 50 pounds throughout his hospitalization and struggle for survival, and that he'll continue to share his progress with the world as his recovery journey continues. Advertisement On Tuesday, the former multiple-organization MMA champion shared his latest emotional update from the passenger seat of his car, as he continues to look and sound significantly healthier. Ben Askren: What's up, guys? Day 59. I'm out, with my beautiful wife. Supportive. Man, that was a long journey, and it's not over because I still can't really walk. I [have to] keep reteaching myself to do that, among many other things. I guess I can make light of it because it was me, and I don't really remember it. But Amy, how close was I to dying? Amy Askren: Too close. A few times. Ben Askren: Ah, man. I don't remember 35 days of this journey, but I think surgery was 24-25 days ago. It was hard. It was hard. And I said this already in one of my videos, but the support you guys gave me, whether it was sending a GoFundMe, whether it was helping my kids and wife get through it — I had friends from all over the country come to visit and hang out for a couple of days — it meant so much. It was so great to just have all this support and all the love, and hopefully I'm not in this situation again for a really, really, really long time. I plan on living a while. So thank you guys, again. All the positive support. All the comments online. Everything. It means so much. Love you guys." Askren, 40, was widely regarded as one of the sport's best wrestlers throughout his MMA career, thanks to his impressive collegiate wrestling background at the University of Missouri. Askren won his first three pro MMA fights before he signed to Bellator MMA in 2010. In his fourth fight with the company, Askren won the Bellator welterweight title. He successfully defended his belt four times before signing with ONE Championship and winning the company's 185-pound welterweight title, which he defended three times. Advertisement In 2018, Askren was a part of the first and only real "MMA trade" when ONE Championship and UFC agreed to swap Askren and former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. The collegiate wrestling legend underwent hip surgery following his final UFC fight against Demian Maia in October 2019 and subsequent MMA retirement, however "Funky" has otherwise maintained an excellent physical condition, focusing on coaching at his Askren Wrestling Academy in Wisconsin. In 2021, Askren returned to compete in his professional boxing debut opposite Jake Paul. Outside of that lone appearance, he's remained true to his retirement from combat sports. In recent days, Askren has reiterated in his update videos that he still plans to remain a fixture in the wrestling community as time goes on, running his Askren Wrestling Academy in Wisconsin. And despite his retirement from combat sports, he's remained a fighter in what has been the biggest fight of his life.
Gizmodo
17 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
‘Dungeons & Dragons' Is Trying a ‘Stranger Things' Collab Game Again
Fans of Eddie Munson are having a moment right now between actor Joseph Quinn launching into a marvelous blaze of glory and now a new Stranger Things collab with Dungeons & Dragons. The timing couldn't be more perfect for more Hellfire Club adventures, and this release promises enough of them to last you at least until Stranger Things season five premieres in November on Netflix. With Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club, tabletop enthusiasts can uncover Eddie's lost campaigns and 'take on challenges hotter than Hellfire—from gnarly battles with Demogorgons and Demodogs, to eerie dockside murders, and the treacherous Vale of Shadows,' as described in a press release. Touted as Eddie's final game, which was left incomplete, players can now lay the hero's last epic adventure to rest by finishing it in his honor. Take a look at the art, which depicts Eddie's final game-playing moments as game master that we didn't get to see on the show with Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Will, and Mike. This isn't the first time that D&D has tried to leverage the phenomenon of Stranger Things with an official collaboration. Six years ago, the company released an official Stranger Things starter set for the fifth edition ruleset, a self-contained adventure with special character sheets and a brief module that balanced Will Byers' own dabbling with dungeon mastering with a trip to the Upside Down. While that set leaned on offering as simplistic a take on D&D as possible, Hellfire Club looks a bit more elaborate, spinning itself less as a TTRPG adventure and more like a guided board game. The new 3-5 player board game comes with four adventures and so many details from the world of Stranger Things. You can pre-order it on D&D Beyond to nab a digital product and the Hellfire Club-emblazoned physical box for $50. There is also an Ultimate Bundle, which includes both versions of the board and materials. With the Ultimate Bundle, you can also unlock an exclusive Upside Down digital dice set, the Upside Down digital map, and a sticker pack. Pre-orders of the set can be found at your local game store and on Amazon.
CNET
17 minutes ago
- CNET
What Are 'Trump Accounts'? Breaking Down the Big Beautiful Bill's Newborn Savings Accounts
These new investment savings account will be started for every newborn automatically over the next few years. Getty Images Amid the divisiveness surrounding the passage of President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful" spending bill, one portion of the legislation seems like it would be agreeable to pretty much everyone: a new type of investment savings account for newborns, which the federal government will seed with money upfront. That sounds like a win for most folks, but are these accounts all they're cracked up to be? And how will they actually work? Most of the conversations and conflicts surrounding the Big Beautiful Bill, which Trump signed into law on July 4, largely ignored these accounts, focusing on the potential damages from sweeping Medicaid cuts and the bolstering of immigration enforcement funding. As polarizing as those elements of the bill were, these new savings accounts, which congressional Republicans attempted to brand as "Trump accounts," had bipartisan support. In the past, prominent Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Sen. Cory Booker have suggested similar ideas to help parents begin building up savings for their children. These aren't going to be free money that new parents can use right away, as there are a number of rules about what can be done with the money. Additionally, the policy will only be in place for a few years unless extended. With all that in mind, keep reading for all the details you'll need to know about the so-called "Trump accounts" and what they mean for your family. For more, find out what recent political moves might mean for your student loan payments. Who's eligible for these new accounts? You can open one of these accounts in your child's name as soon as they're born, and so long as you, your spouse and the child have valid Social Security numbers. If the child's parents aren't married, only the parent opening the account and the child need Social Security numbers. As the policy currently stands, these accounts can only be opened for children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028. It's another example of a common theme highlighted by critics of the Big Beautiful Bill: benefits set to end around the time Trump will leave the White House and drawbacks kicking in once someone new is in office. Whatever the political machinations behind the timeline might be, just keep them in mind if you have a kid later than the start of 2029, since the policy might not be extended. What do the "Trump accounts" do? These accounts allow parents to contribute up to $5,000 a year towards a fund their child will have access to later in life. As investment accounts -- think a 401(k) for your new baby as opposed to a standard savings account -- they have the potential to accrue a lot more value over the years through capital gains and dividends, but they could also lose value depending on how markets move. Other entities, such as the parents' employers, can also contribute to these accounts, up to $2,500 a year. One of the most publicized and desirable aspects of these accounts is that, once one is opened for a new child, the federal government will seed it with $1,000 to get things rolling. This is why the savings accounts have gotten a thumbs-up from some experts, even if parents never add anything else to the account. "Someone is giving me $1,000 for my kid? That's a no-brainer. Who turns away free money?" Jaime Eckels of Plante Moran Financial Advisors said in an interview with CNBC. "From there, you'll have to decide what additional savings you'll have for your child." It's unlikely, however, that a significant number of Americans will be able to use these accounts to their fullest, since, as the Urban Institute noted, one-third don't currently have over $2,000 in savings or have surplus income high enough to make stock investments. Still though, you'll probably be happier to have that $1,000 from the government even if you aren't able to save much on your own. The Milken Institute estimated that the minimum seed from the government could grow to as much as $8,000 for your child over the course of 20 years. How can I open one of these accounts? You should be able to open one at any bank or participating financial institution. If no one gets around to it, the government will open one for the child automatically the first time you file a tax return with the new baby claimed as a dependent. When can money be withdrawn from one of these accounts? The holder of the account (that is, your child) can't withdraw any funds from them until they are at least 18 years old. Funds withdrawn from the account will be subject to the standard capital gains tax, and an additional 10% penalty until they're 59 and a half or older, similar to withdrawals from a 401(k) account. However, there are a number of notable life expenses that the money can be used for penalty-free, including higher-education costs and expenses incurred due to things like disability, domestic violence or natural disasters. Up to $10,000 can be withdrawn penalty-free to be put towards the purchase of a home, and $5,000 can be withdrawn to cover the costs of having a baby. For more, keep an eye on inflation with CNET's daily tariff impact tracker.
