Stephen Colbert has ideas about why Paramount might be short on cash
'People have been speculating about the timing of this decision from Paramount,' Colbert said, referencing his criticism of the network last Monday. 'CBS, who I want to reiterate have always been great partners, put out a statement saying very nice things about me and about the show, and thank you to them for that' Colbert continued. 'They clarified that the cancellation was 'purely a financial decision'… but how could it be a financial decision when it was number one in ratings?' he said, going on to reference the supposed losses of $40 million. 'I could see us losing $24 million, but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million—oh, yeah.'
Later, Colbert welcomed who else but 'Weird Al' Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda to the stage to perform 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay. Not a parody of 'Viva La Vida,' just the actual song as the camera shifted to the audience to parody last week's viral, marriage-ruining kiss cam. The bit brought in cameos from Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Christopher McDonald and Adam Sandler before depicting an animation of Trump and the Paramount logo. And once the spotlight shifts to them, the song is canceled, for financial reasons.
Colbert's two main guests for the evening, Sandra Oh and Dave Franco, also both praised the host at the top of their interviews, something we'd wager we'll be seeing a lot more of between now and May. 'I am so sorry and saddened and properly outraged for the cancellation of late night here,' Oh began, voice somewhat shaking. 'Not only for yourself and for this entire family here, but for what it means [for] where we are in our culture, and what it means for free speech.' Oh then wishes a plague on both the houses of CBS and Paramount. Franco referenced the situation less directly, simply calling Colbert an 'absolute legend' and saying that everything he touches turns to gold.
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