Stephen Colbert's CBS "Late Show" Will End in May

[DJ Davis]

I’ve never seen anything funny from it.

Oh seriously, get over yourself.

If you think this was some premium content that is only getting cancelled cause of TrUmP, then your self righteous, “critic” shtick holds even less weight with me. And that’s saying something, belie me.

[Dicktar2023]

I’ve never seen anything funny from it.

Oh seriously, get over yourself.

If you think this was some premium content that is only getting cancelled cause of TrUmP, then your self righteous, “critic” shtick holds even less weight with me. And that’s saying something, belie me.

This has nothing at all to do with the content of Colbert's show. He was #1 in his time slot.

The options are A) he was too expensive for the dying network or B) his bosses succumbed to political pressure.

In neither case is it relevant whether you personally find him funny. But it is telling that your gut reaction to claims of censorship is to check your feelings to see if agree with the message (allegedly) being censored.

[DJ Davis]

I’ve never seen anything funny from it.

Oh seriously, get over yourself.

If you think this was some premium content that is only getting cancelled cause of TrUmP, then your self righteous, “critic” shtick holds even less weight with me. And that’s saying something, belie me.

This has nothing at all to do with the content of Colbert's show. He was #1 in his time slot.

The options are A) he was too expensive for the dying network or B) his bosses succumbed to political pressure.

In neither case is it relevant whether you personally find him funny. But it is telling that your gut reaction to claims of censorship is to check your feelings to see if agree with the message (allegedly) being censored.

Not irrelevant, the thread is about Colbert so I posted my opinion. That’s how comment forums work, you already know that.

You clearly are (upset) about him being cancelled. Dude, the show sucks. It’s only the clapping seals who hate Trump and conservatives that buy into it. Number one doesn’t mean (bleep), if none of those shows reach the audiences they used to and are losing money, which we all know is the case with the Internet.

You listed the options, so you admit it’s not a given this cancellation is in fact censorship. Even then, CBS deciding to cancel his show isn’t censorship. He’s welcome to start a podcast or go on substack. Who knows, he might even reach more people that way.

Dictator Trump throwing him in jail, now that would be censorship. He’s still on the air until May, so that also would suggest it’s not outright censorship

[Dicktar2023]

I’ve never seen anything funny from it.

Oh seriously, get over yourself.

If you think this was some premium content that is only getting cancelled cause of TrUmP, then your self righteous, “critic” shtick holds even less weight with me. And that’s saying something, belie me.

This has nothing at all to do with the content of Colbert's show. He was #1 in his time slot.

The options are A) he was too expensive for the dying network or B) his bosses succumbed to political pressure.

In neither case is it relevant whether you personally find him funny. But it is telling that your gut reaction to claims of censorship is to check your feelings to see if agree with the message (allegedly) being censored.

Not irrelevant, the thread is about Colbert so I posted my opinion. That’s how comment forums work, you already know that.

You clearly are (upset) about him being cancelled. Dude, the show sucks. It’s only the clapping seals who hate Trump and conservatives that buy into it. Number one doesn’t mean (bleep), if none of those shows reach the audiences they used to, which we all know is the case with the Internet.

You listed the options, so you admit it’s not a given this cancellation is in fact censorship. Even then, CBS deciding to cancel his show isn’t censorship. He’s welcome to start a podcast or go on substack. Who knows, he might even reach more people that way.

Dictator Trump throwing him in jail, now that would be censorship. He’s still on the air until May, so that also would suggest it’s not outright censorship

So, in your opinion, if Trump used his political power to run Colbert off the public airways, that wouldn't count as censorship--since Colbert isn't in jail?

PS I personally don't think Colbert has been funny since he left Comedy Central. But, again--and I can't emphasize this enough--that's not relevant to the issue of censorship.

[DJ Davis]

I’ve never seen anything funny from it.

Oh seriously, get over yourself.

If you think this was some premium content that is only getting cancelled cause of TrUmP, then your self righteous, “critic” shtick holds even less weight with me. And that’s saying something, belie me.

This has nothing at all to do with the content of Colbert's show. He was #1 in his time slot.

The options are A) he was too expensive for the dying network or B) his bosses succumbed to political pressure.

In neither case is it relevant whether you personally find him funny. But it is telling that your gut reaction to claims of censorship is to check your feelings to see if agree with the message (allegedly) being censored.

Not irrelevant, the thread is about Colbert so I posted my opinion. That’s how comment forums work, you already know that.

You clearly are (upset) about him being cancelled. Dude, the show sucks. It’s only the clapping seals who hate Trump and conservatives that buy into it. Number one doesn’t mean (bleep), if none of those shows reach the audiences they used to, which we all know is the case with the Internet.

You listed the options, so you admit it’s not a given this cancellation is in fact censorship. Even then, CBS deciding to cancel his show isn’t censorship. He’s welcome to start a podcast or go on substack. Who knows, he might even reach more people that way.

Dictator Trump throwing him in jail, now that would be censorship. He’s still on the air until May, so that also would suggest it’s not outright censorship

So, in your opinion, if Trump used his political power to run Colbert off the public airways, that wouldn't count as censorship--since Colbert isn't in jail?

PS I personally don't think Colbert has been funny since he left Comedy Central. But, again--and I can't emphasize this enough--that's not relevant to the issue of censorship.

So, in your opinion, Colbert not having a show on CBS is censorship? Is he entitled to that job under the 1A? Maybe they should have gone to court and fought the suit. Clearly, they didn’t think it was warranted or worth it, and the show was hemorrhaging money. Are we really claiming that people who bash Trump are being censored? Seriously?

[Dicktar2023]

I’ve never seen anything funny from it.

Oh seriously, get over yourself.

If you think this was some premium content that is only getting cancelled cause of TrUmP, then your self righteous, “critic” shtick holds even less weight with me. And that’s saying something, belie me.

This has nothing at all to do with the content of Colbert's show. He was #1 in his time slot.

The options are A) he was too expensive for the dying network or B) his bosses succumbed to political pressure.

In neither case is it relevant whether you personally find him funny. But it is telling that your gut reaction to claims of censorship is to check your feelings to see if agree with the message (allegedly) being censored.

Not irrelevant, the thread is about Colbert so I posted my opinion. That’s how comment forums work, you already know that.

You clearly are (upset) about him being cancelled. Dude, the show sucks. It’s only the clapping seals who hate Trump and conservatives that buy into it. Number one doesn’t mean (bleep), if none of those shows reach the audiences they used to, which we all know is the case with the Internet.

You listed the options, so you admit it’s not a given this cancellation is in fact censorship. Even then, CBS deciding to cancel his show isn’t censorship. He’s welcome to start a podcast or go on substack. Who knows, he might even reach more people that way.

Dictator Trump throwing him in jail, now that would be censorship. He’s still on the air until May, so that also would suggest it’s not outright censorship

So, in your opinion, if Trump used his political power to run Colbert off the public airways, that wouldn't count as censorship--since Colbert isn't in jail?

PS I personally don't think Colbert has been funny since he left Comedy Central. But, again--and I can't emphasize this enough--that's not relevant to the issue of censorship.

So, in your opinion, Colbert not having a show on CBS is censorship? Is he entitled to that job under the 1A? Maybe they should have gone to court and fought the suit. Clearly, they didn’t think it was warranted or worth it, and the show was hemorrhaging money. Are we really claiming that people who bash Trump are being censored? Seriously?

I don't know whether Colbert was cancelled because of Trump. But the timing is curious (if Joe Biden had settled a lawsuit with YouTube and then two weeks Joe Rogan got shut down, that might seem like a story, no?) And if a sitting president used his political muscle to silence a comedian, all Americans who claim to value freedom of speech should be very concerned.

So there, I've answered your questions. Now maybe get back to mine.

[Jackie Chiles]

It was indisputably because Trump demanded it as a condition of the feds giving the green light to Skydance Media's acquisition of Paramount Global (as was paying off Trump with the $16M bribe to make a frivolous lawsuit disappear). Supposedly Jon Stewart has reason to be concerned about his job security as well (Paramount also owns Comedy Central). The late night variety show format is dying out because linear television in general is a dying medium, but this wasn't because of the show's ratings.

I don't want to get into all the politics of this, blah blah blah, but I love Jon Stewart. I wish he had his own show full-time, but he apparently doesn't want to go back to that, or do anymore shows on AppleTV (The Problem with Jon Stewart).

I remember when he had a show on MTV.

[Pink Freud]

It's currently the most-watched show in late night TV.

I thought Gutfeld's show was the most watched late night show. Will I get flagged for saying Gutfeld?

I'm pretty sure they were measuring late-night comedy-variety in the Kimmel-Fallon-Colbert mode.

For the last 70 years early morning news and late night variety shows were the Big 3 networks' biggest cash cows, so a lot of TV insiders are giving CBS's "purely economic decision" on "The Late Show" the stink-eye.

One of the funniest ratings responses I've ever seen was when Leno and Arsenio were trouncing Letterman in the Nielsens, and Dave, with his own money, had billboards put up in NYC reading "Letterman: #3 in Late Night!!" with Dave's toothy, don't give a (bleep) grin.

[DJ Davis]

I’ve never seen anything funny from it.

Oh seriously, get over yourself.

If you think this was some premium content that is only getting cancelled cause of TrUmP, then your self righteous, “critic” shtick holds even less weight with me. And that’s saying something, belie me.

This has nothing at all to do with the content of Colbert's show. He was #1 in his time slot.

The options are A) he was too expensive for the dying network or B) his bosses succumbed to political pressure.

In neither case is it relevant whether you personally find him funny. But it is telling that your gut reaction to claims of censorship is to check your feelings to see if agree with the message (allegedly) being censored.

Not irrelevant, the thread is about Colbert so I posted my opinion. That’s how comment forums work, you already know that.

You clearly are (upset) about him being cancelled. Dude, the show sucks. It’s only the clapping seals who hate Trump and conservatives that buy into it. Number one doesn’t mean (bleep), if none of those shows reach the audiences they used to, which we all know is the case with the Internet.

You listed the options, so you admit it’s not a given this cancellation is in fact censorship. Even then, CBS deciding to cancel his show isn’t censorship. He’s welcome to start a podcast or go on substack. Who knows, he might even reach more people that way.

Dictator Trump throwing him in jail, now that would be censorship. He’s still on the air until May, so that also would suggest it’s not outright censorship

So, in your opinion, if Trump used his political power to run Colbert off the public airways, that wouldn't count as censorship--since Colbert isn't in jail?

PS I personally don't think Colbert has been funny since he left Comedy Central. But, again--and I can't emphasize this enough--that's not relevant to the issue of censorship.

So, in your opinion, Colbert not having a show on CBS is censorship? Is he entitled to that job under the 1A? Maybe they should have gone to court and fought the suit. Clearly, they didn’t think it was warranted or worth it, and the show was hemorrhaging money. Are we really claiming that people who bash Trump are being censored? Seriously?

I don't know whether Colbert was cancelled because of Trump. But the timing is curious (if Joe Biden had settled a lawsuit with YouTube and then two weeks Joe Rogan got shut down, that might seem like a story, no?) And if a sitting president used his political muscle to silence a comedian, all Americans who claim to value freedom of speech should be very concerned.

So there, I've answered your questions. Now maybe get back to mine.

It definitely is a story, it’s being covered and we’re all talking about it. I honestly don’t think it’s censorship, at least how it’s normally defined. If this were some small content creator, maybe the argument could be made. CBS/Paramount would have the resources to fight this. Clearly they don’t care. Probably gives them more of an out to end an underperforming show.

[Pink Freud]

CBS/Paramount has made it clear, they're not firing Colbert. They're ending "The Late Show". Period. Exactly why is no doubt related to pressure from getting Shari Redstone's merger approved and (ahem) "settling" the "60 Minutes" lawsuit; a quid pro quo.

The irony is that Colbert now can pull out the really heavy artillery and go bombs away on The Powers That Be --- at CBS and in Washington ---, every night. When NBC informed Conan O'Brien that his stint hosting the "Tonight Show" was going to end and revert to Leno again, Conan was never better, with nothing to lose anymore, and getting $33 mil from NBC to hand the show back to Jay.

[MikoTython]

I suppose this whole ‘weaponization’ concern was just another “Phantom Menace”.

We shouldn’t get wrapped up in any particular words, there is, beside censorship, oppression, suppression, graft, influence peddling, gold-mail, etc. etc.

The root problem, to me, is that any sort of generally held notion of justice & fair play is, all of a sudden?, gone with the wind. All that seems to matter now is who the target is, not what’s being done.

[FrankTheTank]

Pulling this thread back out of the (political gutter) I think it is more a testament that late night talk shows just aren't a thing anymore. Seth Meyers lost his band, Fallon is down to 4 nights a week now, Taylor Tomlinson (After Midnight) chose going back to standup over another contract, so that show was cancelled all together. I know not a traditional talk show, but still.

Carson, Dave, Conan, others used to run late night TV, when there were 4 channels. Now that there are 1 billion streaming services and channels, and it is all about streaming/hits/etc. the entire landscape is changing in real time. So many people looked at them as comedy heroes, but it's just a dying industry now.

[MikoTython]

Pulling this thread back out of the (political gutter) I think it is more a testament that late night talk shows just aren't a thing anymore. Seth Meyers lost his band, Fallon is down to 4 nights a week now, Taylor Tomlinson (After Midnight) chose going back to standup over another contract, so that show was cancelled all together. I know not a traditional talk show, but still.

Carson, Dave, Conan, others used to run late night TV, when there were 4 channels. Now that there are 1 billion streaming services and channels, and it is all about streaming/hits/etc. the entire landscape is changing in real time. So many people looked at them as comedy heroes, but it's just a dying industry now.

But did you really pull it out or just make another tack to justify the situation, or even obfuscate the reality/impact of it ? (Not trying to start an argument though, Frank - seriously) The question I have is, leaving aside the appalling appearance & lets admit it, the, at least to many of us, undeniable reality of political coercion and institutional rent-seeking, what does CBS plan to replace it with that will be a net improvement in revenues ?

CBS & other aspects aside, what replaces late-nite besides, I'm guessing, some reality show smegma, the expectation here. What WOULD be great is for ONE of these networks to rediscover the long-form interview format, with someone who knows how to actually do a long-form interview. Or, the Dick Cavett format where he'd bring together three or four interesting personalities and have them interact - that would be, at least for some of us, worth watching - absent the forced hilarity & generally partisan jokiness of the current late-nite ecosystem. You know, actual dialogue. Actual cultural ferment.

[FrankTheTank]

But did you really pull it out or just make another tack to justify the situation, or even obfuscate the reality/impact of it ? (Not trying to start an argument though, Frank - seriously) The question I have is, leaving aside the appalling appearance & lets admit it, the, at least to many of us, undeniable reality of political coercion and institutional rent-seeking, what does CBS plan to replace it with that will be a net improvement in revenues ?

I gotta say Miko, I don't think my post was political at all, so not sure why you would read it that way? Or maybe you didn't, but honestly I was just pointing to the simple, most basic fact IMO, that the late night format has been dying for years, and we are getting further down the road where it seems like one by one, they are closing up shop.

Give Sean Evans a talk show (Hot Ones), he is a great interviewer...not sure he could do a longer format, and not eat hot wings, to sustain that success though.

Bill Maher kind of does that, bring people together who are on different sides of issues. What replaces late night talk shows? Oh man...reality TV? Reruns of Love it or List it? 20-year reunion of the Jersey Shore? Ha...I have no idea, but that is a good question.

[DJ Davis]

Ha, well after last night’s season premiere of South Park, it will be interesting to see what happens. They just signed a huge re-up with Paramount. If that somehow gets undone or the show gets cancelled, I will concede to your guys’ point.

[MikoTython]

Ha, well after last night’s season premiere of South Park, it will be interesting to see what happens. They just signed a huge re-up with Paramount. If that somehow gets undone or the show gets cancelled, I will concede to your guys’ point.

That was quite a spit in the eye - these guys, it should be known, are betting 1.5B they won't get shut down. Guess we'll give that old 1st Amendment a good walk around the block, see if it stumbles - again.