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USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Colbert's cancellation: A ratings crisis or a political bribe? We investigate
Cue the late-night autopsy. Since Stephen Colbert's announcement last week that CBS would discontinue the "Late Show" and, as a result, his hosting gig, viewers and industry insiders alike have been quick to offer dueling explanations for the shocking shift. In one version, Paramount, CBS' parent company, is bending a knee to President Donald Trump, ousting his frequent critic Colbert to help appease an administration they hope will approve a major merger with Skydance Media before the FCC. In another, Paramount is reading the writing on the wall, as late-night and network television writ large struggle to keep up with streaming. Audiences, after all, seem more eager to hear celebrities spill on podcasts or short-form social media video series than the stuffy, scripted format of an interview show. We ran the numbers on the latter theory, and here's what we found. While Colbert's show is the top rated at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT, it was losing a reported $40 million a year, so Paramount's "purely financial" explanation for the cancellation is at least partly true. Network TV has been receding from the spotlight for nearly a decade, as streaming continues to balloon. As late-night TV becomes more expensive and less profitable every year, ratings sink and costs go up, presenting for the genre an apocalyptic financial bind. YouTube clips may be viral, but they don't make up for the revenue lost as live viewership declines. Colbert, also was perhaps the least-viral of his peers, with hosts like NBC's Jimmy Fallon or ABC's Jimmy Kimmel pushing out more click-happy material to YouTube and social media. Still, Colbert claimed the largest number of viewers. Nielsen ratings show "Late Show" leading the pack so far in 2025 in the 11:35 p.m. hour, with an average of 2.4 million viewers for the first six months of 2025, down from 2.8 million for all of 2022. ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and NBC's "Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon" were far behind in that metric, averaging 1.8 million (down from 1.6 million for the full year 2022) and 1.2 million (down from 1.5 million), respectively. Kimmel is replaced by guest hosts during the summer. Despite Colbert's dominance over his peers, his ratings have dropped steadily year over year. The fact that he has the biggest slice of the pie may then be moot, as the pie as a whole continues to shrink. Notably, "Gutfeld!" Fox News' raunchy, right-wing late-night show hosted by comedian Greg Gutfeld is now the number one show during wee-hours, seeing the rare ratings increase while his left-leaning peers on the other major networks continue to slide. The political juxtaposition may throw a bone to the other side, signaling a different political mood among network television audiences during Trump's second term. Regardless, Colbert's cancellation offers a canary in the coal mine of old-school TV programming – should CBS have had either the political or financial will to keep the "Late Show" on the air, it would have needed to shake up the format eventually, or dramatically cut costs. Back in 2014, Netflix only had three original series. Now the streaming bundling universe has eaten up much of entertainment. No one can predict what TV will look like 10 years from now. But if Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, the Jimmys, or any other late-night host wants to go for longevity, they'll have to evolve. Contributing: Kelly Lawler
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Trump cheers CBS for canceling Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show'
Trump added that conservative Fox News personality and comedian Greg Gutfield - host of Gutfeld! and co-host of The Five - "is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show." Trump previously worked for NBC during his days as the star on "The Apprentice." More: 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert' to end next May: 'This is all just going away' Colbert, 61, announced the cancellation of the iconic show, which comedian David Letterman hosted for two decades prior to Colbert, before its studio audience on July 17 at New York City's Ed Sullivan Theater. 'Late Show' will continue for one more season and end in May 2026. "It's not just the end of our show, it's the end of the 'Late Show' on CBS," said Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, adding that, "I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away." The move comes after Paramount Global, CBS's parent company, agreed on July 1 to a controversial $16 million settlement with Trump over a defamation lawsuit tied to a "60 Minutes" interview with 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Democrats and Colbert fans speculated whether politics could have played a role in the network's decision given the comedian's history of targeting Trump. More: Jimmy Kimmel irate over Colbert cancellation, criticizes CBS ending 'Late Show' "Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled," U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, said in a post on X. "If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better. More: From Joe Rogan to Greg Gutfeld, conservative comedy's influence grows The traditional late-night shows on the three big networks have faced increasing challenges for viewers amid the rapid rise of streaming options. Paramount in a statement called the move "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount." "We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire 'The Late Show' franchise at that time," the statement said. "We are proud that Stephen called CBS home." Contributing: Bryan Alexander of USA TODAY Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Trump says he 'absolutely loves' that CBS canceled Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show'
Colbert announced the cancelation of the iconic program, which comedian David Letterman also hosted for two decades, before his July 17 studio audience at New York City's Ed Sullivan Theater. WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump cheered the cancelation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," one day after the comedian and frequent Trump critic announced CBS would be ending his show. "I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings," Trump said in a July 18 Truth Social post, before also ripping ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, another late-night host known to skewer Trump. "I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert." Trump added that conservative Fox News personality and comedian Greg Gutfield ‒ host of Gutfeld! and co-host of The Five ‒ "is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show." Trump previously worked for NBC during his days as the star on "The Apprentice." More: 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert' to end next May: 'This is all just going away' Colbert, 61, announced the cancelation of the iconic show, which comedian David Letterman hosted for two decades prior to Colbert, before its studio audience on July 17 at New York City's Ed Sullivan Theater. 'Late Show' will continue for one more season and end in May 2026. "It's not just the end of our show, it's the end of the 'Late Show' on CBS," said Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, adding that, "I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away." The move comes after Paramount Global, CBS's parent company, agreed on July 1 to a controversial $16 million settlement with Trump over a defamation lawsuit tied to a "60 Minutes" interview with 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Democrats and Colbert fans speculated whether politics could have played a role in the network's decision given the comedian's history of targeting Trump. "Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled," U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, said in a post on X. "If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better. More: Jimmy Kimmel irate over Colbert cancellation, criticizes CBS ending 'Late Show' The traditional late-night shows on the three big networks have faced increasing challenges for viewers amid the rapid rise of streaming options. More: From Joe Rogan to Greg Gutfeld, conservative comedy's influence grows Paramount in a statement called the move "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount." "We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire 'The Late Show' franchise at that time," the statement said. "We are proud that Stephen called CBS home." Contributing: Bryan Alexander of USA TODAY Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
The Hill
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Trump: ‘I absolutely love' that Colbert ‘got fired'
President Trump said Friday morning that he was thrilled by the news that CBS is canceling the decade-running 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' 'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired,' the president wrote in a post on Truth Social. 'His talent was even less than his ratings.' The president also took aim at ABC's 'Late Night' talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and NBC's 'Tonight Show' host Jimmy Fallon, while praising Fox News's Greg Gutfeld, whose talk show 'Gutfeld!' airs an hour earlier than the major late-night shows. 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!' Trump wrote. 'Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.' Developing.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stephen Colbert Says CBS Told Him of ‘Late Show' Cancellation Just Last Night in Emotional Monologue: ‘All Just Going Away'
The late night host looks ahead to the next 10 months, assuring his crew and studio audience, "It's going to be fun" Stephen Colbert appeared saddened but reassuring Thursday night while sharing the news that CBS is canceling 'The Late Show,' with its final episode scheduled to air in May 2026. Telling the live studio audience that he learned 'just last night' of the news, the late night host lamented that 'this is all just going away' — but looked ahead to 10 more months working with his crew to keep making the best show they can. More from TheWrap Trump's $1.1 Billion Cuts to NPR, PBS Pass Republican-Controlled House 'Gutfeld!' Gangs Up on CBS Reporter for 'PTSD' Diagnosis From Trump Rally Shooting: 'Main Character Syndrome' | Video Adam Schiff, Elizabeth Warren and More Call for Transparency Around Colbert's 'Late Show' Cancellation: 'A Political Favor' Stephen Colbert Says CBS Told Him of 'Late Show' Cancellation Just Last Night in Emotional Monologue: 'All Just Going Away' | Video 'It's going to be fun,' he said. Watch the full announcement in the video below: The cancellation, cited by CBS as a 'financial decision,' came just days after the late night host derided his parent company's $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. In his return to the series after a summer break — during which time Paramount settled its baseless '60 Minutes' lawsuit with the president — Colbert called the deal a 'big fat bribe' meant to clear the way for Trump's FCC to approve the corporation's pending Skydance merger. The fiery monologue had TheWrap's Brian Lowry positing Tuesday that Colbert's late night program could be one of several on the chopping block once the merger goes through. 'Before we start the show, I want to let you know something that I found out just last night,' Colbert began Thursday. 'Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the late show in May.' The news was met with rousing boos of dissent from his audience, to which the host smiled and said, 'Yeah, I share your feelings.' He added that he's not getting replaced on the show, but CBS is canceling the late night program, which premiered with host David Letterman in 1993, in its entirety. 'I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away,' Colbert said. 'And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners. I'm so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home. And of course I'm grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night in here out there all around the world.' Colbert then shouted out his band and his team of 200 staffers, all of whom he said he's 'deeply grateful' for. 'We get to do this show for each other every day all day, and I've had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years,' he continued. 'And let me tell you, it is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it.' The host then looked ahead: 'And it's a job that I'm looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months. It's going to be fun. Y'all ready? Y'all ready? Y'all ready? OK. That's all I wanted to say.' In a statement to media Thursday announcing the program's cancellation, George Cheeks (president and CEO, CBS Entertainment Group), Amy Reisenbach (president, CBS Entertainment) and David Stapf, (president CBS Studios) said that the move is 'purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night' and 'is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.' 'Our admiration, affection and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult,' the statement from Cheeks, Reisenbach and Stapf continued. 'Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas. The show has been #1 in late night for nine straight seasons; Stephen's comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation's zeitgeist.' The post Stephen Colbert Says CBS Told Him of 'Late Show' Cancellation Just Last Night in Emotional Monologue: 'All Just Going Away' | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Solve the daily Crossword
