Jimmy Fallon slams CBS for canning Stephen Colbert, jokes he may be next on chopping block
'I am your host. Well, at least for tonight,' Fallon said during Monday's monologue.
Fallon, who made a cameo appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' on Monday in a show of support for his longtime rival, also took aim at CBS and its parent company Paramount Global.
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'Everybody is talking about CBS' decision to end 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert',' Fallon said, before setting up his next joke by claiming many viewers are 'now threatening to boycott the network.'
'CBS could lose millions of viewers, plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount+.'
4 Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC's 'Tonight Show,' reacted to CBS's decision to cancel rival Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show.'
NBC
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The former 'SNL' star also quipped: 'These are crazy times. This morning my dad called me and said he's officially a Kimmel guy,' referring to the third member of the late-night fraternity, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel.
Fallon went on to praise Colbert's contributions to late-night television while taking a shot at President Trump.
'Stephen has done years of incredibly smart and hilarious television, and he's won 10 Emmys,' Fallon said.
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'Trump heard and was like, 'Big deal, last week I just won a FIFA World Cup trophy.''
The joke was a reference to Trump's appearance alongside members of the Chelsea soccer team after it captured the FIFA World Cup championship at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last week.
4 'Stephen has done years of incredibly smart and hilarious television, and he's won 10 Emmys,' Fallon said. Colbert is seen above.
CBS
Fallon — whose contract with NBC runs through 2028 — had previously released a written statement on the cancellation of Colbert's show, saying: 'I'm just as shocked as everyone. Stephen is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it. I really thought I'd ride this out with him for years to come.'
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His remarks Monday came on the heels of scathing commentary from Jon Stewart and Colbert himself, both of whom criticized CBS and Paramount for the decision to end the top-rated late-night show.
While CBS has maintained that the cancellation was 'purely a financial decision' unrelated to the show's performance, others have voiced skepticism.
4 Protesters are seen outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan on Monday denouncing CBS.
REUTERS
Lawmakers, media observers, union leaders and fellow late-night hosts questioned the timing and motivations behind the move — particularly in light of Paramount Global's recent $16 million settlement with Donald Trump and its pending $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
Three days before getting axed, Colbert had criticized the Trump settlement on air, calling it a 'big fat bribe.'
Critics have accused Paramount and CBS of yielding to political pressure from Trump in an attempt to secure favorable regulatory treatment from the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing its long-stalled $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
4 Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's 'Daily Show' also came to Colbert's defense.
AP
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was among those who voiced concern, posting on X: 'CBS canceled Colbert's show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS owner Paramount for its $16 M settlement with Trump… America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.'
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Skydance CEO David Ellison — whose company is seeking to merge with Paramount — recently met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and promised that the combined media entity would reflect 'the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers.'
The meeting has only fueled speculation that Colbert's ouster was intended to neutralize a high-profile Trump critic ahead of the FCC's ruling.
CBS has not publicly responded to Fallon's comments. Paramount Global also has not issued a statement in response to Stewart or Colbert's criticisms.
Colbert took over hosting duties of the 'Late Show' from David Letterman in 2015
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