Colbert's Trump Joke May Have Led To Show Cancelation
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) shared a clip from Colbert's Monday monologue on social media where he slammed Paramount Global for settling a lawsuit with Trump, who claimed that a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris was deceptively edited to aid her chances of winning the election.
That settlement notably arrived as Paramount looks to merge with Skydance Media in a multibillion-dollar deal, one that requires approval from the Trump administration to proceed.
'As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. I don't know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company,' Colbert quipped. 'But, just taking a stab at it, I'd say $16 million would help.' The host proceeded to point out that Paramount once described the lawsuit as 'completely without merit' before joking that the company put a price tag on its 'dignity' and referred to the settlement as a 'big fat bribe.' Colbert, a frequent Trump critic, previously made fun of Paramount back in May amid reports that the company was ready to settle the lawsuit.
Warren echoed Colbert's sentiment as she wrote on X that the deal 'looks like bribery' and America 'deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.'
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
CBS
In May, Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and other lawmakers sent a letter to Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone warning her not to make a 'grave mistake' by settling the lawsuit.
At the time, Sanders — when asked by Colbert about the letter to his 'ultimate boss' — quipped that it could be the host's 'last show' before stressing that such a deal could set a dangerous precedent for other media companies.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is set to appear on Thursday's episode of 'The Late Show,' also criticized CBS' move.'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,' Schiff wrote on X.
Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled.
If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) July 17, 2025
Other critics alleged that the move by CBS was politically motivated, although the network claims it was ' purely a financial decision ':
CBS sells out…again. https://t.co/VX9Ft4UWyq
— Martin Heinrich (@SenatorHeinrich) July 18, 2025
Stephen Colbert's show was canceled three days after he called out Paramount, CBS's parent company, for folding to Trump with a $16M settlement for a lawsuit that even they called 'without merit."
People deserve to know if this is a politically motivated attack on free speech.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) July 18, 2025
Colbert to be canceled May 2026.
A direct result of Paramount paying Trump 60 million. pic.twitter.com/ZxuXZOAnOH
— Steve Martin (@UnrealBluegrass) July 18, 2025
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images
'This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,' top CBS executives said in a statement announcing the news. 'It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.' pic.twitter.com/VXp4zWeT1e
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 18, 2025
Paramount
Colbert has the highest ratings of any late night host.
"Financial reasons" my ass. This is political. pic.twitter.com/4WMyj5lPte
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) July 18, 2025
On the one hand: There *is* an economic rationale for this. Late night shows aren't cheap (w/ giant talent salaries) and they don't deliver traditional strong ratings anymore.
Other hand: I don't believe them. It's not the money in this case. https://t.co/RwXrZTgMT9
— Michael Socolow (@MichaelSocolow) July 17, 2025
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images
If Donald Trump is going to get Stephen Colbert canceled, Stephen Colbert should talk about Donald Trump & Jeffrey Epstein every night on his show until it's off the air.
— Evan (@daviddunn177) July 18, 2025
Stephen Colbert doesn't need CBS anyway. Wherever he ends up, people are going to watch him even harder now. All CBS did was solidify the fact that they'll be know until the end of time as just another spineless corporation that couldn't do the right thing.
— Karly Kingsley (@karlykingsley) July 18, 2025
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