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Fast Company
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Why Colbert's cancellation is lighting a fire under every late-night host
BY By axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last week, CBS not only put an expiration date on TV's No. 1 late-night talk show —the network also put an enormous target on its own back. In the days since CBS made the announcement that the show would be ending in May 2026, all current late-night talk show hosts have bound together in a show of support for Colbert. That support has taken the form of savage jokes about CBS, which canceled Colbert's show just days after he called the $16 million settlement between CBS parent company Paramount and President Donald Trump ' a big fat bribe.' Though Paramount stressed that the cancellation was ultimately a financial decision, the company's leadership is clearly unconcerned about how it looks to cancel a show led by one of the president's critics while its $8 billion merger with Skydance is pending before that same president's Federal Communications Commission chair. But Colbert and his fellow late-night hosts aren't afraid to say exactly what the show's pending cancellation looks like—punishment from a corporate parent for putting its business at risk. If the first show of his precancellation run is any indicator, Colbert is ready to go out the same way he rose to No. 1, by lobbing scathing jokes at Trump and those who help prop him up. And as his show's demise lays bare the precarious situation late night is in, Colbert's peers seem ready to enter their DGAF eras as well. Colbert's anti-Trump jokes made his show more political Trump's election in 2016, just one year into Colbert's tenure, was crucial to helping the host find his footing. He'd had a bit of a rocky transition from his satirical Comedy Central series, The Colbert Report, which he'd hosted in character as a Bill O'Reilly-like blowhard. It took him some time—and some unprecedented times—to figure out the best way to be himself on TV. Prior to Trump's election, the top late-night talk show was The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, mainly known for its host's affable banter with celebrities and goofy party games. Trump's election seemed to light a fire under late-night TV, though, offering most of the hosts a sense of purpose and more nightly material than they could possibly handle. As Fallon remained largely apolitical, Colbert pounced. By February 2017, he snatched the top spot of late night for the first time, and then maintained it throughout the following season. Colbert's peers Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel also grew into their new roles as thorns in the president's side, while Fallon floundered. Late night is floundering—especially at CBS But amid a downturn in ratings, even Colbert's viewership has softened as time has gone on. Between the political exhaustion that followed the 2020 election and a steady increase in cord-cutting in U.S. households, late-night TV ratings have fallen steadily for five years. Colbert now receives an average of 2.47 million viewers per show, down more than a million from his 2018-2019 peak. Late-night ad revenue fell by half from 2018 to 2024, from $439 million to just $220 million. Even Trump's return to the White House, with all its attendant chaos, couldn't entice viewers back to late night this year, with ratings down across the board even from last fall. CBS has had an especially tough time programming late night. After host James Corden left The Late Late Show in 2023, CBS opted to end the series rather than find a new host, taking a swing by airing the talk show-game show amalgam After Midnight in its time slot. That show ended in June after two seasons, when host Taylor Tomlinson bowed out to focus on stand-up. Amid the tumult, Colbert and his show's pole position among his peers seemed like an asset for the network. But given his critique of Paramount's Trump settlement—which heads off a legal battle over the president's appearance on 60 Minutes last fall, which he alleged was edited unfairly—Colbert's cancellation can easily be perceived as a potential additional condition for the merger. Trump has certainly not done anything to assuage that notion, gloating about it on Truth Social over the weekend. But Colbert and his late-night compatriots are signaling that they're ready to call it as they see it now that Colbert's days at CBS are numbered. How late-night hosts responded Kimmel was the first of the hosts to respond. In a since-lapsed Instagram story on Saturday, July 19, the host wrote: 'Love you, Stephen. Fu*k you and all your Sheldons, CBS' (a nod to the main character from the network's 12-season hit The Big Bang Theory and its 7-season spin-off Young Sheldon). Next came Jon Stewart's righteously irate, f-bomb-heavy monologue on Monday night's episode of The Daily Show. While the host admitted the fiscal realities of late-night TV in 2025, comparing it to 'operating a Blockbuster kiosk inside of a Tower Records,' he blasted the network for not doing more to save the top show in the format. Stewart concluded that despite those financial challenges, the cancellation was ultimately due to the 'fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America's institutions.' He then led a choir and the audience in a chant of 'Go fuck yourselves,' aimed at corporations, including Paramount, who have demonstrated fealty to Trump. Finally, just after The Daily Show came the first episode of The Late Show in what may come to be known as its DGAF era. ' The gloves are off,' the host said early on in the episode, and then spent the rest of the runtime giving a preview of what that will look like. Perhaps taking a cue from Stewart, Colbert responded to Trump's gloating over his cancellation by telling the president, 'Go fuck yourself.' One particular moment from the episode, though, was notable both for its humor and its sprawling show of solidarity. A parade of famous friends including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Weird Al Yankovic, and Adam Sandler showed up for an elaborate bit based on last week's Coldplay kiss-cam fiasco —and they were joined by Colbert's peers: Meyers, Stewart, and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver. All of these hosts standing united in purpose (Jimmy Fallon separately cracked jokes in support of Colbert on The Tonight Show) is a signal that late night is poised to get its biggest jolt since the early days of Trump's first term. These hosts may be about to crack jokes like there's no tomorrow, because for the first time in late night's storied history, there might not be. The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is this Friday, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joe Berkowitz is a contributing writer for Fast Company, where he explores all things digital culture, especially how we live, work, and do business in a rapidly changing information environment. His coverage runs the gamut from profiles of interesting businesses and creators, the streaming wars, social media, as well as the objects and technology that define our lives. More
Hypebeast
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
'South Park' Finds New Streaming Home on Paramount+ With $1.5 Billion USD Deal
Summary In a dramatic pivot that reshapes the streaming landscape,South ParkcreatorsTrey ParkerandMatt Stonehave reportedly signed a $1.5 billion USD deal withParamount, according to a report fromtheLos Angeles Times. The five-year agreement, valued at $300 million USD annually, grants Paramount the global streaming rights to the long-running animated juggernaut — marking a significant move that pulls the series away from its previous home onHBO Maxand places it squarely at the center of Paramount's streaming strategy. The deal arrives after months of tense negotiations, stalled premieres, and behind-the-scenes legal threats. According to insiders, the creators initially pitched a 10-year, $3 billion USD pact. But withSkydance Mediacurrently in the process of acquiring Paramount Global, the terms were scaled back. Skydance reportedly balked at the original length and price tag, delaying the agreement and nearly derailing the upcoming season. Parker and Stone didn't hide their frustration. As news broke of the Season 27 premiere delay — moved from July 9 to July 23 —theSouth ParkX accountshared a blunt statement: 'This merger is a shit show and it's f*cking up South Park.' That tension wasn't just for show. Sources say the pair's legal team even threatened to sue Paramount and Skydance multiple times during the negotiation process. At one point, incoming Paramount president Jeff Shell was accused of interfering with existing talks between Parker, Stone, and bothNetflixandWarner Bros. Discovery. Under the new agreement, Paramount will become the exclusive US streaming home for all regularSouth Parkepisodes, while also restoring the series to international markets where previous licenses had lapsed. Additionally, Parker and Stone will deliver 10 new episodes per year through their production company Park County, separate from their ongoing deal withComedy Central, which still holds the show's cable rights through 2027. The timing is strategic. The show's 27th season kicks off July 23 on Comedy Central — just days before Parker and Stone appear atSan Diego Comic-Con, whereas further announcements are expected. For Paramount, the acquisition is a major Parkis one of the few remaining animated titles with both cultural longevity and a fiercely loyal fanbase. With streaming platforms racing to lock down exclusive IP, this deal positions Paramount as a more serious player in the streaming services—at a time when every subscriber counts. But with the Skydance merger looming and Parker and Stone still renegotiating their broader creative deal, questions remain about whatSouth Park'slong-term future looks like — and whether the foul-mouthed kids of Colorado can stay afloat amid the chaos of corporate consolidation.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
I was a late-night writer. Colbert's cancellation hurts American comedy – and sanity
Last week – just a few days after Stephen Colbert called out his parent company for paying Donald Trump millions of dollars – CBS canceled the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Maybe now people will finally stop saying Trump is good for comedy. In this latest Trump administration, I often joke that I'm just not cut out for being this furious all the time. I'm a comedy writer. I'm built for naming dogs Doctor Reginald Pancakes and writing sentences like 'Every woman's deodorant is called Delicate Whisper and every man's deodorant is called Beef Shazam!' I get that there's nothing more annoying than a comedian getting all serious, and yet here we are. So first, let's address the obvious: was the cancellation for political reasons or, as the network claims, for 'purely financial' reasons. My answer? Yes. The problem is we keep treating those like they're separate things. CBS isn't ending the show for 10 months. They could have made the announcement whenever they wanted. But they chose to tell Stephen Colbert, host of the highest-rated network late night show, just 48 hours after he called Paramount's payment to Trump a 'big fat bribe'. They chose to cancel the Peabody award-winning show in the midst of an attempt to sell Paramount to a company called Skydance, a merger that has to be approved by the Trump administration. They chose to tell Colbert they were canceling his show, one day after the CEO of Skydance met with the FCC and discussed 'CBS's editorial decision-making'. Basically, if the decision wasn't political, then Paramount sure is happy to let it look political, and at that point there's no meaningful difference. Whether the network canceled the Late Show to appease Trump or not, they did it knowing he'd think so. CBS wants it both ways. They want the viewers to believe they're an unbiased network and they want Trump to think they'll do anything he wants. So that's what I think as a human being who lives in this world right now. But, as a comedy writer who wrote for late night TV for almost a decade? Well, I can't stop thinking about the jokes. This cancellation is really sad to me because I believe in the power of jokes. True story: once a guy was mugging me and he started punching me in the face. I told a joke and he STOPPED PUNCHING ME. That is the power of jokes. (No, I will not tell you the joke. Because I'd say it and then you'd be all 'C'mon, it's not that funny' and then I'd have to be all: 'No, you had to be there. It's not as funny when you aren't punching me in the face.') The thing about jokes is that they require a shared base of knowledge. A shared reality. If I tell a joke about a commercial and you've never seen that commercial, the joke isn't going to go over very well. Losing late night shows is one more step toward losing a shared reality, and that to me is terrifying. There is a moment every New Yorker knows. It happens when you're on the subway and someone does something particularly insane: an 83-year-old white lady raps, or a man in a three-piece suit publicly clips his toenails. And then you catch the eye of someone across the train – they raise their eyebrows and you raise your eyebrows back. And then you feel a little better. Because someone else saw what you saw and they can confirm that it's something. Late night hosts like Stephen Colbert do that on a larger scale. They're our way of saying: 'Hey, this is crazy, right? RIGHT?' In this world of algorithmic bubbles and blatant lies and deepfakes, late night television is a place you can gather at night and say: 'Yes, this happened and it is fucking weird.' Here's another thing I like about jokes: the basis of jokes is truth. I've written books, speeches, game shows and news articles and I've never been fact-checked as hard as I was when writing late night television. Jokes just don't work if they're not based on something true. And for our leaders? The ability to take a joke matters. If our corporate overlords and representatives in government can't handle being joked about on late night TV, we don't need new shows. We need new leaders. In this current system – with a Congress and a supreme court who want nothing more than to cater to Trump's every whim – we don't have a lot of options to hold our leaders accountable. In a free society, joking about our leaders isn't just helpful or fun, it's vital. For me, this isn't just about Colbert. (I met him once. In 2014, the day Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was set to tape our first show, Colbert came to our office and went from room to room to congratulate each member of the staff and to wish us luck. It was a kind gesture that I'll long remember.) It's not just about his staff – a couple hundred people who in my experience are thoughtful, hilarious, ridiculously competent people at the top of their game. It's not even just about the humiliating weakness the television networks continue to display as the president sues them into silence. It's about the jokes. We need the jokes. Because this country could really use a break from getting punched in the face. Jill Twiss has won multiple Emmys and Peabody awards as a senior writer on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and a staff writer on The Amber Ruffin Show
Forbes
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
What Time Does ‘South Park' Season 27 Begin?
"South Park" Season 27 partial poster. Trey Parker and Matt Stone's hit comedy series South Park is coming back with Season 27, but where and when you can see new episodes featuring Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny is a bit complicated. Created by and starring the voices of Stone and Parker, South Park premiered on cable's Comedy Central channel on Aug. 13, 1997. Now, 28 years after the series began, South Park is returning for its 27th season. Originally, South Park Season 27 was due to begin on July 9, but the premiere was pushed back due to Skydance's ongoing efforts to acquire Paramount Global. The corporation, of course, owns Comedy Central and has been seeking streaming rights for South Park for its Paramount+ platform, Deadline reported. With negotiations in a state of flux, the premiere date of South Park Season 27 was pushed back from July 9 to July 23, which raised the ire of Parker and Stone. 'This merger is a s--tshow and is f---ing up South Park,' Parker and Stone posted in a statement on X on July 2. 'We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.' Until a streaming deal is complete, South Park Season 27 will only be available on cable TV's Comedy Central, beginning with a two-episode debut on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. For viewers who don't have cable, Comedy Central is available on such streaming subscription services as Fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV, Philo, Sling and YouTube TV. Viewers can see the teaser for South Park Season 27 below. Disclaimer: The trailer includes violent images and swearing. Will South Park Be Available On A Streaming Platform Soon? Currently, the first 26 seasons of South Park are streaming on the Warner Bros. Discovery platform HBO Max, but that deal expired in late June, Deadline reported. With any luck, some clarity on where South Park Season 27 will be available on streaming will be resolved soon. The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday (via Variety) that, per sources, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have reached a deal with Paramount Global to bring South Park to Paramount+ in a five-year deal for $300 million a year. If that happens, Paramount+ would also get the first 26 seasons of South Park and five new seasons of the series, beginning with Season 27. While the first 26 seasons of South Park remain on HBO Max for the time being, Paramount+ is currently hosting seven South Park specials that began streaming in 2021. As for what viewers can expect for South Park Season 27, the season's teaser trailer released three months ago (which can be seen above) shows Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny, naturally, along with Statue of Liberty being pulled down, a war with Canada, several airline disasters and Butters in an air traffic control tower during one of them. The teaser also includes Sean 'Diddy' Combs flying around in a jet-propelled backpack while wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, as well as Randy toting around a jar of ketamine. South Park Season 27 arrives on cable Comedy Central with a two-episode debut on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Paramount Global (PARA) Plans $100M Oracle Cloud Deal after Skydance Merger
It's been anything but boring lately at Paramount Studios, unless you count the new musical version of Mean Girls. Between a high-profile merger with Skydance, a $16 million legal settlement with Donald Trump, and the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's late-night show, some optimistic news is finally breaking through. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Skydance and Paramount Global (PARA) are in talks to sign a new cloud software agreement with Oracle Corp. (ORCL) that could be worth approximately $100 million per year. According to a Bloomberg report, once the merger between Paramount and Skydance is finalized, the new entity will move onto Oracle's cloud infrastructure, supporting large-scale video and content workflows and offering potential cost savings of hundreds of millions over time. Oracle Deal Set to Streamline Paramount's Cloud Operations Skydance, which already utilizes Oracle's cloud tools, is expected to expand its footprint once it takes control of Paramount. The arrangement will focus on modernizing Paramount's legacy systems and increasing operational efficiency across content production and distribution. Oracle's involvement is notable not only for its scale but also for its connection to the transaction. Skydance Media is led by David Ellison, the son of Oracle's co-founder Larry Ellison. Oracle has made recent gains in the cloud infrastructure market by targeting industries that rely heavily on data processing, such as AI development and streaming media. Paramount Global, with its vast archive of video content and live programming from CBS and MTV, fits that profile. As the merger progresses, the Ellison-led group plans to use technology upgrades and AI-based tools to improve margins and streamline production. Skydance has said it will prioritize automation and smarter backend systems, positioning the company to compete more aggressively with other major streaming and media players. The Oracle deal aligns with that strategy. It could also give Paramount Global a lift as it continues to manage its sizable debt load and restructuring costs. As of the end of Q1 2025, Paramount reported $14.16 billion in total debt and posted GAAP operating income of $550 million. Paramount Plans Reboot with Skydance and Oracle The Skydance-Paramount merger, announced earlier this month, includes more than $8 billion in combined investment. That total covers $1.5 billion for debt reduction and $4.5 billion for the purchase of Paramount shares. The deal is expected to close in the coming months, pending regulatory approval and the expiration of a 45-day period in which other bidders may emerge. Paramount Global's potential Oracle partnership would follow closely behind the merger, forming one of the largest enterprise cloud transitions in the entertainment industry. Is Paramount a Good Stock to Buy? According to The Street's analysts, Paramount boasts a Moderate Sell consensus. The average PARA stock price target is $11.92, implying an 8.52% downside.
