US lawmakers question whether CBS cancelled Colbert's show for political reasons
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its 10-year run on CBS in May 2026, the network said on July 17.
WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers are questioning the timing of CBS's announcement to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which came days after Colbert criticised the network's parent company for paying President Donald Trump US$16 million (S$20.6 million) to settle a lawsuit.
Hours after CBS executives characterised the move as 'purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night', lawmakers began suggesting that the cancellation was linked to Paramount's recent settlement with Mr Trump.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote on social media that the settlement with Mr Trump 'looks like bribery', and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said: 'People deserve to know if this is a politically motivated attack on free speech.'
Paramount recently agreed to pay Mr Trump US$16 million to settle his lawsuit over the editing of an interview on the CBS News programme 60 Minutes.
Colbert, a longtime critic of Mr Trump's, panned on July 14 that the settlement as a 'big fat bribe', a reference to Paramount's multibillion-dollar merger with the movie studio Skydance that still requires approval from the Trump administration.
CBS executives said in a statement on July 17 night that the decision was 'not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount'.
The show's cancellation comes during a period of upheaval in the world of late-night television, as viewers migrate away from traditional broadcast and cable television and as advertising revenue for late-night programmes plummets. Colbert's show will end in May, when his contract expires.
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Still, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who caucuses with Democrats, also cited the pending merger in a social media post on July 18 morning.
'Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired,' Mr Sanders said. 'Do I think this is a coincidence? NO.'
Colbert said during the July 17 taping of the show that he was informed of the cancellation on July 16 night. For his part, Colbert had joked on July 14 that his moustache would protect him from any pressure that comes from 'the new owner's desire to please Trump', asking: 'How are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert if they can't find him?'
Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was a guest on Colbert's show on July 17 night, demanded more answers as to whether the show was cancelled for political reasons.
'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know,' Mr Schiff wrote on X.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, celebrated the decision to cancel the show.
'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,' Mr Trump said in his own social media post. 'His talent was even less than his ratings.' NYTIMES
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