Poll: Americans think Paramount is canceling 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' because of politics — and they don't approve
More Americans disapprove (40%) than approve (33%) of Paramount's controversial decision earlier this month to cancel CBS's long-running late-night program with host Stephen Colbert, according to a new Yahoo/YouGov poll.
And while CBS has claimed the decision was 'purely … financial' — adding that it was 'not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount' — more Americans believe that politics rather than money was the real reason behind it.
The survey of 1,729 U.S. adults was conducted in the immediate aftermath of Paramount's Late Show announcement, from July 24 to July 28 — a period that coincided with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finally agreeing to sign off on the company's proposed $8 billion mega-merger with the Hollywood studio Skydance.
Colbert is a sharp critic of President Trump, and skeptics have accused Paramount of canceling the Late Show not because late-night talk shows are losing money but because the company wanted to appease the Trump administration and get its Skydance deal over the line.
Last October, Trump sued Paramount for the way CBS's 60 Minutes program edited an interview with his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris — and earlier this month, Paramount decided to settle with Trump and pay $16 million to his future presidential library, even though several legal experts said the case was frivolous.
Colbert — who is scheduled to keep hosting the Late Show until it goes dark next May — mocked the settlement on-air, calling it a 'big fat bribe.'
'As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I'm offended, and I don't know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company,' Colbert told his audience. 'But just taking a stab at it, I'd say $16 million would help.'
The new Yahoo/YouGov poll shows that more Americans agree with Colbert's theory of why his show was canceled than agree with other, more 'purely financial' explanations. When asked why CBS and Paramount are canceling the Late Show — and instructed to select all the reasons that apply — the share who select 'Paramount is trying to curry favor with the Trump administration' (37%) and 'Stephen Colbert is too critical of Donald Trump' (36%) is greater than the share who select 'the Late Show is losing money (32%), 'the Late Show is losing viewers' (30%) and 'the late-night format is losing relevance' (26%).
Partisan preferences are clearly playing a role in the reaction to the Late Show's demise. Far more Americans think Colbert is liberal (53%) than think he's moderate (10%) or conservative (3%), and Democrats (72%) are six times more likely to disapprove of the decision than Republicans (12%).
Still, there is no consensus that Colbert has gone overboard politically. In fact, more Americans (35%) say he is "about right" politically than say he's "too political" (28%). And more also favor (46%) than oppose (31%) "late-night talk show hosts getting involved in politics by speaking out on political issues."
That might help explain why a majority of Americans still say they watch Colbert's content — either 'always' (5%), 'occasionally' (21%) or when they 'see clips online' (27%). The rest (47%) say they never watch Colbert.
Finally, when Americans are asked to select up to three of their favorite late-night talk show hosts, Colbert (25%) ties Jimmy Fallon (25%) for first place, with Jimmy Kimmel (22%), Jon Stewart (19%), John Oliver (11%) Seth Meyers (7%), Bill Maher (7%), Andy Cohen (3%) and Taylor Tomlinson (2%) trailing behind them.
__________________
The Yahoo survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,729 U.S. adults interviewed online from July 24 to 28, 2025. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 election turnout and presidential vote, party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Party identification is weighted to the estimated distribution at the time of the election (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGov's opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 3.1%.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
Loni Anderson, star of TV hit 'WKRP in Cincinnati,' dies at 79
Actress Loni Anderson, best known for her role on the 1970s and '80s TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," has died at 79. Anderson, who played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS comedy about the staff of an AM radio station in Ohio, died on Sunday, Aug. 3, at a Los Angeles hospital following "an acute prolonged illness," the actress's representative Cheryl J. Kagan confirmed to USA TODAY. Anderson earned two Primetime Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy for her performance as Marlowe during the four-year run of "WKRP." She was the ex-wife of movie star Burt Reynolds. This is a developing story.
New York Post
13 minutes ago
- New York Post
Staten Island Democrats embrace Zohran Mamdani, turn on Andrew Cuomo: ‘Voters have spoken'
Democratic Party leaders in the city's most conservative borough are jumping on the Zohran Mamdani bandwagon in what critics are calling the political equivalent of a 'shotgun wedding.' Staten Island Democrats are making nice with the party nominee after backing his rival, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the June Democratic Party primary. Cuomo is now running in the general election on an independent, minor-party line. 'Zohran is the Democratic nominee. The voters have spoken,' said Laura LoBianco Sword, chairwoman of the borough's Democratic Party. 3 The Democratic Party of Staten Island is getting behind the Zohran Mamdani in the general election. Paul Martinka 'We want to work together. I want to make sure Staten Island has a seat at the table.' The Mamdani campaign confirmed it will have a big general election campaign launch Aug. 17 on Staten Island as the democratic socialist looks to expand his political base. 'While Zohran builds real support across all five boroughs, Cuomo's campaign is withering as New Yorkers learn he stands for absolutely nothing but his own ambition, dogged by scandal, corruption, and a record of sexual harassment and humiliation,' campaign spokeswoman Dora Pekec said. Mamdani won big as an outsider pick in the primary but he has made a push to expand his reach as he heads into the general election, where he'll face Republican Curtis Sliwa as well as independents Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. Rodneyse Bichotte, the Brooklyn Democratic chairwoman, endorsed Cuomo during the primary election but immediately backed Mamdani after he won the party contest. 3 The Staten Island Democrats endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in he mayoral primary. J.C. Rice Mamdani has also been in contact with party leaders in Queens, particularly officials who represent largely black neighborhoods in the southeast part of the borough that went heavily for Cuomo during the primary election, according to insiders. LoBianco Sword credited Mamdani with bringing new voters into the Democratic Party, and hopes to piggyback that trend in the borough. The island Democratic leader said Mamdani has correctly identified the city's problems. Whether or not one agrees with his controversial plan to open government-run grocery stores in the five boroughs, she said there's no question that there are 'food deserts' in city neighborhoods. Start and end your day informed with our newsletters Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters She also said the wealthy 'should pay their fair share' when asked about Mamdani's plans to raise taxes on millionaires and corporations by $9 billion to subsidize fare-free buses, child care and housing. Cuomo beat Mamdani in Richmond County but it wasn't a blowout — 46.5% of the vote to 37.5% during the initial round of the ranked-choice election. Staten Island Republican Party chairman Michael Tannousis, asked about the borough Democratic organization-Mamdani alliance, 'it's definitely a shotgun wedding.' 3 Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa expects to win Staten Island — but says he isn't taking voters in the borough for granted. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post He predicted many moderate, law-and-order Democrats will back Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, who won 65% of the vote in the borough against Adams in 2021, though Adams easily carried the other boroughs and won the mayoralty. Adams ran in that race on the Democratic line. 'There is no appetite for socialism and the socialist agenda,' said Tannousis, also a state assemblyman. 'Curtis will win Staten Island. He may get a bigger vote than four years ago. Staten Islanders will have a choice: either the Mamdani socialist Democrats or the Republican ticket.' Sliwa, for his part, is working hard to carry Staten Island again, but he's not taking the borough for granted. 'If I lose Staten Island, shame on me. It's a real battleground but I've been out there forever,' the Guardian Angels founder said. He said Staten Islanders will never forgive Adams for pushing migrant shelters in the borough as mayor and Cuomo is running on his legacy — making the GOP nominee the chief rival to Mamdani.
The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Texas legislator James Talarico on Democratic walkout: ‘It's time to fight back'
Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) urged his party to 'fight back' on Sunday as Democratic legislators left the Lone Star State in an effort to block Republicans from advancing House maps that would hand the GOP five extra pick-up opportunities before the 2026 midterms. 'My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab. Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he'll have to come through us,' Talarico said in a thread on the social platform X. 'It's time to fight back.' 'They're turning our districts into crazy shapes to guarantee the outcome they want in the 2026 elections. If this power grab succeeds, they will hang on to power without any accountability from the voters. But Texas Democrats are fighting back,' he added in a video posted on the site. The Democratic legislator, who has drawn attention recently after being featured on Joe Rogan's podcast, told NewsNation's 'The Hill' show last week that Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) 'are trying to rig the next election.' 'I know that sounds dramatic, but … now by redrawing the political maps, they're trying to insulate themselves from the will of the voters,' he said. Talarico told KXAN late last week that he was open to breaking quorum to block the redistricting effort, but called such a move a 'last resort.' 'Breaking quorum is an extreme step, and it's not something that should be taken lightly,' he said. Texas state House Democrats said Sunday they were denying Republicans a quorum, or the least amount of lawmakers needed present in order to conduct legislative business, after a state House panel over the weekend advanced proposed congressional maps aiming to make Texas's district lines even friendlier to Republicans. Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu on Sunday accused Republicans of 'using an intentionally racist map to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal.' 'Apathy is complicity, and we will not be complicit in the silencing of hard-working communities who have spent decades fighting for the power that Trump wants to steal,' Wu added in a statement. 'We're leaving the state, breaking quorum and preventing Republicans from silencing our voices and rigging the next election. We are not fighting for the Democratic Party. We are fighting for the democratic process, and the stakes could not be higher. We have to take a stand,' Talarico said Sunday.
