Latest news with #TVcancellation
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
David Letterman slams CBS over Stephen Colbert exit
David Letterman has backed his successor Stephen Colbert and suggested CBS canceled The Late Show because he was 'always shooting his mouth off' about Donald Trump. The 78-year-old late-night legend created The Late Show in 1993 after NBC denied him the chance to succeed Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Colbert took over for Letterman in 2015 and took the show in a decidedly more political direction. But despite leading in the ratings, a shrinking late-night landscape led CBS to claim losses in the tens of millions of dollars. In his first comment on the show's cancellation, Letterman noted that Colbert's show was more about political satire than his version of The Late Show, but was still complimentary, calling the decision by CBS 'pure cowardice.' 'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this, they're going to be embarrassed, because this is gutless,' he told former Late Show producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. Letterman then said that he believed CBS was acting on behalf of Skydance CEO and incoming Paramount CEO David Ellison to make their lives easier after acquiring Paramount, taking away a constant critic of Trump. 'Hey boys, here's what we're gonna do: not only are we gonna get rid of that guy, we're gonna get rid of the entire franchise so you don't have to worry about another guy. It's gone,' Letterman said. The longtime talk show host noted CBS's $16 million settlement with the Trump administration over a deceptively edited interview with election rival Kamala Harris, which Colbert had previously mocked as a 'big fat bribe.' He also referred to Ellison as a 'bottom feeder,' saying he should've bought a Dairy Queen instead of a television network. 'Stay out of this business.' He also tore into accusations that the show lost so much money, with both Gaines and Barclay saying they had cut budgets to help the network several times when they were at CBS. 'You're telling me losing this kind of money happened yesterday? I bet they were losing this kind of money a month ago, six weeks ago, or they have never been losing money,' he said. Letterman noted that despite the show supposedly losing tons of money, CBS is allowing Colbert to stay on the air for the next ten months. 'That's another huge chunk of money they're gonna lose according to them. I don't think it was money. I think it was all to make sure the Ellisons were solid spending Dad's money,' he said, referring to Ellison's father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. He said of the treatment of Colbert: 'They did not handle Stephen Colbert, the face of that network, in the way he deserves to have been handled.' Letterman echoed Colbert's own joking words from earlier this week when the former Comedy Central comic called himself 'a martyr.' 'For Stephen, I love this: he's a martyr, good for him. If you listen carefully, you can hear them unfolding chairs at the Hall of Fame for his induction,' he joked. Ultimately, he said he envies the position Colbert is now in with his liberal viewers. 'I only wish this could've happened to me. This would've been so great for me. Now we've all gotta kiss Stephen Colbert's ring now,' he quipped. The comedian's decade-long run as host of CBS's late-night flagship will end next May, with network insiders suggesting the top-rated show was canceled because it was losing anywhere from $40 to $100 million per year. Trump posted a celebration on Truth Social when the news was announced, saying, 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.' Colbert, who briefly addressed the move the day of its announcement, devoted much of his Monday show to the controversy, eventually uniting with almost every other liberal late-night talk show host in a show of support, as well as Adam Sandler and even Lin-Manuel Miranda. The 61-year-old comic opened after a standing ovation and lengthy applause from the New York City crowd by saying 'cancel culture has gone too far'—then joked that now the show is ending, he can say whatever he feels. Colbert said sarcastically of Paramount: 'They made one mistake, they left me alive! For the next ten months, the gloves are off!' He then referenced Trump's comments, turned to an 'Eloquence Cam' and said: 'How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go f*** yourself.' He also addressed Trump's claim that Jimmy Kimmel is next, replying: 'Nope, no, no. Absolutely not. Kimmel, I am the martyr. There's only room for one on this cross. And the view is fantastic from up here. I can see your house!' He went on to say that cancellation meant he could finally admit what he felt about the president. In contrast to his often over-the-top anti-Trump monologues, he dryly said: 'I don't care for him. Doesn't seem to have the skill set to be president. Just not a good fit, that's all.' He addressed his bosses at CBS—who he said 'have always been great partners'—before turning to Paramount's decision to cancel the show. 'How could it be a purely financial decision if The Late Show is number one in ratings? A lot of folks are asking that question, mainly my staff's parents and spouses.' He quipped: 'I could see us losing $24 million but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million, oh…'—naming the amount the company settled with Trump over his 60 Minutes lawsuit. He returned to mocking Trump and the recent news accusing him of writing a 'bawdy' letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. 'I'll have more to say about all this after the commercial break. The only other story is a small one... the president is buddies with a pedophile.' Puck journalist Matthew Belloni revealed Colbert's 'lack of profitability' Friday, hours after CNN first broke the news that the show was canceled because it was in the red. Belloni outlined how The Late Show—whose cancellation was announced last Thursday—costs $100 million a year to produce, with Colbert getting paid between $15 and $20 million a year.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
David Letterman unleashes fury at CBS for canceling his successor Stephen Colbert
David Letterman has backed his successor Stephen Colbert and suggested CBS canceled The Late Show because he was 'always shooting his mouth off' about Donald Trump. The 78-year-old late-night legend created The Late Show in 1993 after NBC denied him the chance to succeed Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Colbert took over for Letterman in 2015 and took the show in a decidedly more political direction but despite leading in the ratings, a shrinking late-night landscape led CBS to claim losses in the tens of millions of dollars. In his first comment on the show's cancellation, Letterman noted that his show was more about political satire than his version of The Late Show but was still complimentary, calling the decision by CBS 'pure cowardice.' 'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this, they're going to be embarrassed, because this is gutless,' he told former Late Show producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. Letterman then said that he believed CBS was acting on behalf of Skydance CEO and incoming Paramount CEO David Ellison to make their lives easier after they acquire Paramount, taking away a constant critic of Trump. 'Hey boys, here's what we're gonna do: not only are we gonna get rid of that guy, we're gonna get rid of the entire franchise so you don't have to worry about another guy. It's gone,' Letterman said. The long-time talk show host noted CBS's $16million settlement with the Trump administration over a deceptively edited interview with election rival Kamala Harris, which Colbert had previously mocked as a 'big fat bribe.' He also referred to Ellison as a 'bottom feeder,' saying he should've bought a Dairy Queen instead of a television network. 'Stay out of this business.' He also tore into the accusations that the show lost so much money, with both Gaines and Barclay saying that they had cut budgets to help the network several times when they were at CBS. 'You're telling me losing this kind of money happened yesterday? I bet they were losing this kind of money a month ago, six weeks ago, or they have never been losing money,' he said. Letterman noted that despite the show losing tons of money, they're going to let him stay on the air for the next ten months continuing to lose it. 'That's another huge chunk of money they're gonna lose according to them. I don't think it was money, I think it was all to make sure the Ellisons were solid spending Dad's money,' he said, noting Ellison's father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. He said of the treatment of Colbert: 'They did not handle Stephen Colbert, the face of that network, in the way he deserves to have been handled.' Letterman echoed Colbert's own joking words from earlier this week when the former Comedy Central comic called himself 'a martyr.' 'For Stephen, I love this: he's a martyr, good for him. If you listen carefully, you can hear them unfolding chairs at the Hall of Fame for his induction,' he joked. Ultimately, he said he envies the position Colbert is now in with his liberal viewers. 'I only wish this could've happened to me. This would've been so great for me. Now we've all gotta kiss Stephen Colbert's ring now,' he quipped. The comedian's decade-long run as the host of CBS's late night flagship will end next May, with network insiders suggesting the top-rated show was canceled because it was losing anywhere from $40 to $100million per year. Trump posted a celebration on Truth Social when the news was announced, saying 'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.' Colbert, who briefly addressed the move the day of its announcement, devoted much of his Monday show to the controversy, eventually uniting with almost every other liberal late-night talk show host in a show of support, as well as Adam Sandler and even Lin-Manuel Miranda. The 61-year-old comic opened after a standing ovation and a lengthy applause from the New York City crowd by saying ' cancel culture has gone too far' and then joked now that the show is ending, he can say whatever he feels. Colbert said sarcastically of Paramount: 'They made one mistake, they left me alive! For the next ten months, the gloves are off!' The Late Show host then referenced Trump's comments, turning to an 'Eloquence Cam' and said: 'How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go f*** yourself.' He then referenced Trump stating in the same Truth Social post: 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.' Colbert replied: 'Nope, no, no. Absolutely not. Kimmel, I am the martyr. There's only room for one on this cross. And the view is fantastic from up here. I can see your house!' He also said that cancellation meant he could finally admit what he felt about the president. In contrast to his often over-the-top anti-Trump monologues, he dryly, quietly said: 'I don't care for him. Doesn't seem to have the skill set to be president. Just not a good fit, that's all.' He addressed his bosses at CBS - who he said 'have always been great partners' - before talking about Paramount's decision to cancel the show which he took over from David Letterman in 2015. 'How could it be a purely financial decision if The Late Show's is number one in ratings? A lot of folks are asking that question, mainly my staff's parents and spouses.' 'I could see us losing $24 million but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million, oh...' he quipped, naming the amount the company settled with Trump for over his 60 Minutes lawsuit. He went back to bashing Trump and the recent news accusing him of writing a 'bawdy' letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. 'I'll have more to say about all this after the commercial break. The only other story is a small one... the president is buddies with a pedophile.' Puck journalist Matthew Belloni revealed Colbert's 'lack of profitability ' Friday, hours after CNN first broke the news that the show was canceled because it was in the red. Belloni outlined how The Late Show - whose cancellation was announced last Thursday - costs $100m a year to produce, with Colbert, 61, getting paid between $15 million and $20 million a year to host. Colbert beats ABC and NBC rivals Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon in the ratings, but that still wasn't enough to save him. Late night shows have slumped in profitability in recent years as viewers shun the format in favor of streaming services or watching content on their phones. Advertiser revenue has slumped sharply even in the last three years, Puck reported, making it harder to pull Colbert's show out of the red. Colbert was reported to be 'not angry, actually' about his cancellation and was chatting with his staff in a 'matter-of-fact' way before Thursday's show, Puck reported. Colbert, who will broadcast his final show in May 2026, was first informed his show was on the chopping block around July 4, it is claimed. Paramount Co-CEO George Cheeks made the decision, Puck reported. He then went on vacation, giving bosses at CBS time to plot behind his back, CNN reported. He moved to share it as quickly as possible so that his staff would not learn of their impending unemployment via leaks to the press. All three major late night hosts - Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon - have become notorious for their regular rants about President Trump, which many viewers have complained are boring and off-putting. But Belloni said he didn't believe the famously anti-MAGA Colbert was axed to appease Donald Trump, who recently won a $15 million payout from CBS after suing them over a 60 Minutes interview with Harris he said was deceptively edited. The axing of Colbert has delighted Trump, who posted about it on his TruthSocial network earlier today. Colbert's ouster could also make it easier for CBS parent company Paramount's efforts to merge with media company Skydance in a deal that must be approved by Trump's Federal Communications Commission. The Late Show launched in 1993 under David Letterman to compete with longtime late night juggernaut The Tonight Show. Colbert took over from Letterman in 2015 after his retirement. More than three decades later, CBS's entry into the late night sphere sits at the top, with second-best Jimmy Kimmel Live! raking in an average of 1.772 million viewers. Colbert, by comparison, collects an average of 2.417 million. Colbert - who once played a conservative character on Comedy Central's satirical late night program The Colbert Report - often aired jokes at the conservative's expense. Trump celebrated the news of the show's cancellation as a result. 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' he wrote in a Friday Truth Social post. 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert,' he added, before talking up right-wing Fox News star Greg Gutfeld. '[He's] better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,' Trump added, referring to Jimmy Fallon.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Late Show' Shocker: CBS Ending Late-Night Franchise in 2026
In a surprise announcement Thursday, CBS and Late Show host Stephen Colbert said the show will come to an end in May 2026. Colbert told the show's live audience during the taping of Thursday's show at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York. In a statement, CBS said the cancellation was 'purely a financial decision' made in a declining linear TV landscape. More from The Hollywood Reporter Trump Reacts to 'Late Show' Ending: "I Absolutely Love That Colbert Got Fired" Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon Shocked Over CBS' Decision to End 'Late Show': "F*** You and All Your Sheldons" Critic's Notebook: The Awful Optics of CBS Canceling 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' The end of The Late Show at the end of the 2025-26 season will leave CBS without a late-night presence for the first time since 1993, when David Letterman moved from NBC to launch The Late Show. Colbert took over the show in 2015 and has been a consistent ratings leader among the network 11:35 p.m. shows for much of that time. The announcement also comes as CBS' parent company, Paramount Global, is hoping to close a merger with Skydance in the next few months. The company recently settled a lawsuit filed last year by Donald Trump (before he was elected to a second term as president) over a 60 Minutes interview with Trump's election opponent, Kamala Harris. The settlement is widely seen as helping the merger's chances for approval by the FCC under the Trump administration — and which Colbert criticized upon his return from a hiatus earlier this week. In its statement, CBS said that wasn't a factor in the decision. 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,' reads a statement from Paramount co-CEO and CBS president and CEO George Cheeks, CBS Entertainment head Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf. 'We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television. 'This is 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. 'Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. 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 No. 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 accomplishments of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.' For his part, Colbert told the audience Thursday that he was informed of the decision to end The Late Show on Wednesday night, drawing boos from the crowd. 'Yeah, I share your feelings,' he said. '… This is all just going away. 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.… And I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here.' Watch Colbert's full announcement below. As for the rest of the network late-night landscape, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! will begin the final season of its current three-year deal in the fall. NBC late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers signed deals last year to continue hosting The Tonight Show and Late Night through 2028. (Kimmel and others reacted to the news.) Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise Solve the daily Crossword
RNZ News
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Late-night hosts react to cancellation of Stephen Colbert show as Trump says 'Kimmel is next'
By Jessica Riga , ABC Jacinda Ardern on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2018. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has blasted television network CBS for cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , as the US president took to social media to revel in the news and warn, "Kimmel is next". Stephen Colbert announced on Thursday (US time) that his late-night show has not been extended beyond the upcoming broadcast season, meaning it will end in May next year. CBS executives released a statement calling the move a "purely financial decision", labelling Colbert "irreplaceable". "[The decision is made] against a challenging backdrop in late night," the statement read. Fellow late-night hosts have reacted with shock and anger, with Kimmel writing on social media: "love you Stephen. F*** you and all your Sheldons CBS". Jimmy Kimmel. Photo: TOMMASO BODDI Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show , wrote on social media that he was "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," he wrote. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump seemed to delight in the announcement, writing on his own social media platform Truth Social, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired". "His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!" Trump added: "Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show." US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP / Brendan Smialowski US media is reporting that CBS's parent company, Paramount, is seeking approval from the US Federal Communications Commission for a merger with Skydance Media, in a deal worth $US8.4 billion (NZ$14 billion). Paramount also agreed this month to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over an interview with his Democratic challenger in the 2024 presidential race - former vice-president Kamala Harris - that CBS's 60 Minutes programme broadcast in October. Critics, including Colbert - who often condemns the president's actions on his show - say the company settled primarily to clear a hurdle to the Skydance sale. In a scathing monologue delivered on Monday, local time, Colbert said he was "offended" by the settlement and joked that the technical name in legal circles for the deal was a "big fat bribe". In its statement, CBS executive said the cancellation of Colbert's show "is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." To the boos of the audience at the news of the announcement, Colbert said, "Yeah, I share your feelings". "It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away." Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, a longtime critic of the US president, joined those calling for more transparency around the show's cancellation. "CBS cancelled Colbert's show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump - a deal that looks like bribery," Senator Warren wrote on social media. "America deserves to know if his show was cancelled for political reasons." Senator Elizabeth Warren. Photo: AFP / Getty Images Eleven-time Emmy award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus defended the late-night host, writing, "I stand with my friend Stephen Colbert". She then directed a David Graham quote at CBS, Paramount and chairwoman Shari Redstone. "Institutions that are willing to sacrifice their values for the government's favour are likely to end up with neither," she wrote. A slew of stars commented on an Instagram post shared by The Late Show and Colbert's personal account. "Love you Stephen. This is absolute bulls***," Severance star Adam Scott wrote. "And I for one am looking forward to the next 10 months of shows." Seth Meyers, the host of Late Night , also weighed in on Instagram. "For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person," he wrote. "I'm going to miss having him on TV every night, but I'm excited he can no longer use the excuse that he's 'too busy to hang out' with me." Colbert took over as host of The Late Show in September 2015, succeeding veteran broadcaster David Letterman, who launched the programme in 1993 after Jay Leno was named host of NBC's flagship Tonight Show . - ABC
CNN
18-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
Inside CBS' ‘agonizing decision' to cancel Colbert's top-rated late-night show
Source: CNN From the outside, the idea made no sense at all. Why would a broadcast network cancel one of its best-known shows that ranks number one in its time slot? But on the inside, at CBS, there were several plausible answers to that question. While 'The Late Show' host Stephen Colbert was on his usual mid-summer vacation earlier this month, CBS executives weighed the pros and cons of canceling the unique but unfortunately unprofitable show. The 'cons' were obvious, as evidenced by the studio audience's boos when Colbert announced the cancellation on Thursday night. However, the 'pros' ultimately won out because, according to sources close to the network, 'The Late Show' was losing money and there was no apparent path to turning around its financial position. It was an 'agonizing decision,' as the executives admitted in a statement. But CBS insiders insist, even when speaking frankly on condition of anonymity, that the move was financially driven, not politically motivated. Many observers have huge doubts about that, given that Colbert has been an outspoken critic of President Trump. The Writers Guild of America, which represents writers on 'The Late Show,' said Friday that it is concerned the cancellation was a 'bribe' to curry favor with the Trump administration. The guild wants the New York state attorney general to launch an investigation. While the political uproar continues, here's what the data indicates. The bottom has indeed been falling out of the late-night TV business model for several years now. Audience fragmentation and digital competition have led to a decline in ad revenue across the board. One insider described it as 'cratering' at CBS. That's because, even though Colbert outrated his competition at 11:35 p.m., the overall audience for late-night has been shrinking. 'Ad dollars and audiences are moving away from late night shows,' Variety reported — and that was back in 2023. The financial picture has only gotten gloomier since then. Guideline, an ad data firm, estimates that the networks' late-night shows earned $439 million in ad revenue in 2018 and only $220 million in 2024 — a decline of 50 percent. The shows hosted by Colbert and his rivals, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, are inherently expensive to produce, with hundreds of staffers and elaborate studio productions. The shows are also an awkward fit on streaming platforms since they tend to be topical, limiting the shelf life of the content. Colbert's commentaries and interviews often go viral on social media, but that attention isn't easily converted into cold, hard cash since CBS doesn't control the social platforms. But couldn't CBS have explored changes to the cost structure? That's what the network did later in the evening, in its 12:35 a.m. time slot, in 2023. 'The Late Late Show with James Corden' ended, partly due to the fact that it was no longer making money for CBS, and a cheaper show called 'After Midnight' was launched in its place. Colbert was an executive producer on both 'After Midnight' and 'The Late Show,' so he had some visibility into the financial circumstances. But the swiftness of the network's decision suggests that he wasn't given much time to suggest cost savings or other alternatives. That's why one person close to Colbert described the show's retirement, effective in May 2026, as a 'casualty of the merger.' That merger is CBS parent Paramount's long-gestating deal with Skydance, a media company controlled by David Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison. The elder Ellison is a longtime friend of President Trump and has previously described himself as a Trump supporter. And David Ellison was spotted with the president earlier this year at UFC matches. The pending deal matters for two reasons: One, because companies almost always try to cut costs around the time of a merger; and two, because the deal requires sign-off from the Trump administration. Paramount entered into a settlement agreement with Trump earlier this month to resolve Trump's lawsuit against the CBS News program '60 Minutes.' The company said it would pay $16 million toward Trump's future presidential library. Trump suggested at the time that there were other components to the settlement. While there is no evidence that Colbert's cancellation is connected to the settlement, Democratic senators like Elizabeth Warren are asking questions about the possibility. 'America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons,' Warren said in a statement Thursday night. At the very least, CBS executives moved forward with the retirement of 'The Late Show' franchise knowing that the optics would cause all manner of controversy. Trump personally celebrated the cancellation on Friday morning, writing on Truth Social that 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!' See Full Web Article
