Stephen Colbert Cancelled By CBS, Has NOTHING To Do With Trump!

By Susie Madrak — July 18, 2025

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been cancelled and will end in May 2026, with CBS announcing it will retire the Late Show entirely after a 33-year run. And it doesn't have anything to do with Colbert criticizing Trump, and Paramount's shady bribe! They wouldn't lie! Via The Guardian:

The news comes just a few days after Colbert criticised the network’s parent company, Paramount, for settling a lawsuit with Donald Trump for $16m (£12m) over the US president’s claim that CBS News deceptively edited an interview with the then presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

The settlement coincided with Paramount seeking approval from the US Federal Communications Commission for an $8.4bn merger with Skydance Media. Colbert called the settlement “a big fat bribe”.

CBS released a statement that the decision to end the late-night show was "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." Uh huh.

The reactions followed immediately. Jimmy Kimmel responded on Instagram with fury at the network. “Love you Stephen,” the host wrote above the video of Colbert sharing the news with his live audience. “F--- you and all your Sheldons CBS.”

Andy Cohen, who hosts Watch What Happens Live! on Bravo, said, “I think it’s a sad day for late-night television. I think it’s a sad day for CBS. I think Stephen Colbert is a singular talent. He’s going to have an incredible next chapter.”

“I can’t believe CBS is turning out the lights at 11:30 after the local news. Just completely turning out the lights.”

Both Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff called out the news, saying the public deserves to know if he was cancelled for political reasons.

CBS staff isn't buying Paramount's claim that Stephen Colbert's cancelation was a "financial decision" and had nothing to do with "other matters."

"Many of us think this was part and parcel of the Trump shakedown settlement,” one network staffer told me.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) 2025-07-18T14:53:45.401Z

There is no way Colbert wasn't canceled as retribution, as a demand from Trump to Paramount. And he wanted it done now, immediately, so that we'd all know that he got rewarded with it and Paramount would have little cover by waiting a few months.

— Michelangelo Signorile (@msignorile.bsky.social) 2025-07-18T11:24:51.753Z

Good point, credit to Colbert and the Late Night team.

Paramount/CBS corporate bosses are making a corrupt deal with the Trump regime, so Colbert likely faced pressure—at minimum implied, but I bet it was more—to go easy, at least not call it out directly. But he stuck to his guns and lost his job.

— Nicholas Grossman (@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social) 2025-07-18T11:34:29.618Z

If we’re lucky, Colbert is about to have a year-long DGAF era. The man’s off the leash. What are they gonna do, cancel him?

— Meredith Rose (@mrose.ink) 2025-07-18T11:34:03.730Z

CBS canceled 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.

America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.

Watch and share his message. pic.twitter.com/Rz7HcWFLYM

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 18, 2025