CBS alarmed many after announcing the end of its decade-long late-night program, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Some on the social media platform X are attempting to connect CBS’s and Paramount Global‘s decision to end the Late Show after Stephen Colbert called out the network’s parent company for reportedly bending the knee to President Donald Trump.
To be careful in our reporting, it is being said that the decision from CBS comes over, quote, “financial” reasons and not political, as assumed by many across social media.
From Paramount’s press site:
“‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season.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.
Despite the statement from Paramount, the timing is questionable considering a recent $16 million settlement the company made with President Donald Trump and Colbert making a joke about the matter earlier this week. If true, it would follow a pattern of presumed moves by the Trump administration to silence any dissenters the president disagrees with.
Just this week, Trump railed against the Wall Street Journal and wants to sue the publication for running a story about the ongoing Epstein files situation that is hanging over the administration. Attorney General Pam Bondi, once an advocate for unsealing the files on Jeffrey Epstein, has claimed that there is no so-called “client list.”
On X, formerly Twitter, fan reaction to CBS ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2026 isn’t sitting well with some. Check out the reactions below.
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Photo; Getty
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