‘For the next 10 months, the gloves are off': Colbert, Stewart, and Fallon sound off on CBS ‘Late Show' cancelation
Stephen Colbert
After briefly commenting on the news last week, Colbert kicked off Monday's show by addressing the elephant in the room. Joking that 'cancel culture has gone too far,' Colbert spoke about the impact of the announcement and what he plans to do next.
'Over the weekend, it sunk in that they're killing off our show, but they made one mistake, they left me alive,' he said while looking at camera and removing his glasses. 'And now, for the next 10 months, the gloves are off.'
Colbert later questioned CBS calling the move just a financial decision when his series continues to be 'No. 1 in ratings,' and poked fun at
Advertisement
'I could see us losing $24 million, but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million... oh yeah,' Colbert said.
The late-night host also responded to Trump's recent social media posts celebrating the cancelation.
'How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go [expletive] yourself,' Colbert said.
But when it came to Trump's social media post saying that rival host Jimmy Kimmel 'is next,' Colbert joked that there's only room for one late-night martyr.
'No, absolutely not Kimmel, I am the martyr,' Colbert said. 'There's only room for one on this cross and I got to tell you, the view is fantastic from up here.'
Later in the show, Colbert brought out 'Hamilton' star Lin-Manuel Miranda and 'Weird Al' Yankovic to cheer up the audience about the show ending next year.
Parodying the
Jon Stewart
Stewart, who hosts 'The Daily Show' on Mondays, didn't hold back during his monologue, noting that the show's network is also owned by Paramount. After lauding Colbert's work over the years, from his early days on 'The Daily Show to 'The Colbert Report" to taking over for Letterman on 'The Late Show,' Stewart called out CBS for its decision.
Advertisement
'The fact that CBS didn't try to save their No. 1 rated network late-night franchise that's been on the air for over three decades is part of what's making everybody wonder, was this purely financial or maybe the path of least resistance for your $8 billion merger?' Stewart said, later adding that the move was a way to assuage 'a fragile and vengeful president.'
'I understand the fear that you and your advertisers have with $8 billion at stake. But understand this, truly, the shows that you now seek to cancel, censor, and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those [expletive] shows,' Stewart said. 'That's what made you that money, shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid.'
Stewart went on to call out, not just CBS, but all institutions and organizations capitulating to every whim of the administration.
'If you're trying to figure out why Stephen's show is ending, I don't think the answer can be found in some smoking-gun email or phone call from Trump to CBS executives or in CBS's QuickBooks spreadsheets on the financial health of late night,' said Stewart. 'I think the answer is in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America's institutions at this very moment, institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful and vindictive actions of our pubic-hair-doodling commander-in-chief. This is not the moment to give in. I'm not giving in. I'm not going anywhere... I think.'
Jimmy Fallon
Even Fallon weighed in on the news briefly during his monologue.
'Welcome to 'The Tonight Show.' I am your host, well, at least for tonight,' Fallon joked. 'I don't like it. I don't like what's going on one bit. These are crazy times.'
Advertisement
John Oliver and Jimmy Kimmel
Over the weekend, 'Last Week Tonight' host
Matt Juul can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
‘A Chorus Line' turns 50 — and Broadway is desperate for another hit musical like it
Watching a new Broadway musical early on, you can always tell when one is going to be really big. The standing ovation is physically involuntary — not out of politeness or a ploy to be first in line to the bathroom. The departing audience's euphoric buzz drowns out the din in Times Square — where the air suddenly smells sweet. And your last thought as you leave the theater is the first word of one of the greatest really big musicals of all time: 'Again.' 5 'A Chorus Line' opened 50 years ago on Broadway. Kevin Mazur That's 'A Chorus Line,' Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban's heart-stopper of a show about the inner lives of dancers that had its first performance on Broadway 50 years ago on Friday. The supremely inventive piece — conceived, directed and choreographed by the genius Michael Bennett — revitalized Broadway and New York City in the 1970s with electricity, humanity and modernity during a fallow period. 'A Chorus Line' became a giant unlikely hit and gave us the songs 'What I Did For Love,' 'The Music and the Mirror' and 'One.' Its unitard-clad actors step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touched at the Shubert Theater for 15 years. From the start, everybody knew it was the 'One.' Post theater critic Martin Gottfried reviewed the experimental musical in its first risky days downtown at the Public Theater, well before the non-profit venue got a reputation as an incubator of Broadway musicals. By curtain, he realized he'd just experienced a singular sensation. 5 Donna McKechnie starred in the original production of 'A Chorus Line' on Broadway. Martha Swope/New York Public Library 5 Innovative 'A Chorus Line' tells the story of struggling Broadway dancers trying to get a gig. New York Post 'As 'A Chorus Line' launched into its finale on opening night at the Newman Theater, the audience rose and cheered,' Gottfried wrote. 'Its applause continued throughout the number. I can't recall that happening ever before.' Goosebumps. And a historic moment worth celebrating. For me, however, the mood of 'A Chorus Line''s half-century fete is bittersweet. Because the last time I walked out of a new Broadway musical feeling the thrill of having just watched a really big hit was a decade ago. Not since exiting the doors of Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'Hamilton,' which will party for its own 10th anniversary on August 6th. 5 'Hamilton,' which opened 10 years ago, was Broadway's last truly major hit. AP There have been wonderful, profitable shows post-'Ham,' of course, such as 'Dear Evan Hansen' and 'Come From Away.' But not the sort of musicals your cousin Ann in Oshkosh texts you nonstop for tickets to. Beg, borrow, steal shows. 'Maybe we could sell our French Bulldog' shows. Those flagships' absence is glaring and alarming. During the 40 years from 'A Chorus Line' to 'Hamilton,' Broadway enjoyed a huge smash that got a ton of national press attention just about every five years, more or less. Some of those titans: 'Annie,' 'Evita,' 'Cats,' 'Les Miserables,' 'The Phantom of the Opera,' 'Rent,' 'The Lion King,' 'The Producers,' 'Wicked' and 'The Book of Mormon.' That all-important well has dried up. I was wrecked by 'The Outsiders' last year, but it's not in the major league. I still find myself explaining to casual theater fans what last season's deserving Best Musical Tony Award winner 'Maybe Happy Ending' is. 5 Smaller 'Maybe Happy Ending' was this year's Best Musical Tony Award winner. Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions Solving the problem of the big-hit rut is tricky. Because, like a person whose life has spiraled out of control after a small mistake, the causes have exploded beyond an easy fix. Broadway's 18-month Covid closure forever changed audience habits. Then, costs rose astronomically and investors grew skittish. Movie studios became too involved, and plopped Saltine songs on Hollywood IP. Original musicals turned tiny and niche. I'm also convinced that the current class of producers has terrible taste and minimal skill. It rots from the head. True, the past season came close to 2019 sales numbers. But that was thanks to lousy plays starring celebrities with disgusting ticket prices, a few new musicals performing admirably and Cole Escola's comedy 'Oh, Mary!'. But A-List interventions and a bunch of quirky musicals flopping after a year will not save Broadway in the long run. It's the only-in-New-York, must-see, can't-get-in musical that is Broadway's lifeblood. The ones that, pardon the cliche, raise all boats. The ones that become tentpoles of American culture. The a-five-six-seven-eights. And, despite the odds, I'm holding out for another. I'll take the optimistic advice of 50-year-old 'A Chorus Line.' Kiss today goodbye, and point me toward tomorrow.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
David Letterman on ‘gutless' cancellation of Colbert's show: ‘Pure cowardice'
Comedian David Letterman on Friday joined the chorus of late-night hosts to bash CBS News after it announced it would sunset 'The Late Show' after more than three decades on air, while praising host Stephen Colbert as a 'martyr.' Letterman — the show's first host — alluded to the recent $16 million settlement between CBS's parent company Paramount Global and the Trump administration, and its expected merger with entertainment giant Skydance, when he called the decision to nix the program 'gutless.' 'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed because this is gutless,' he said during a recorded chat with his former 'Late Show' producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. 'I only wish this could happen to me. This would have been so great for me.' Paramount called the move 'purely a financial decision' and not related to the show's performance or content. Letterman, like other press advocates and some Democrats, did not seem satisfied with that answer. Instead, the 'Late Show' veteran cast the blame on who he called the 'Oracle twins,' referring to billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison, who is set to lead the 'New Paramount' after the Federal Communications Commission gave the greenlight for Skydance to acquire the company. The merger is expected to be completed by Aug. 7. 'There's no fairness to these goons,' Letterman said, adding 'These guys are bottom feeders. That's exactly what this is.' 'Of course, they know that broadcast television is withering, so now they want, just want to make sure on top of buying something that doesn't have the same value as it had 30 years ago. They don't want to be hassled by the United States government,' he continued. 'So, they want CBS to take care of all of that mess.' The comedian also blasted CBS's decision to settle with Trump after he sued '60 Minutes' over an interview with former Vice President Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign as 'pure cowardice.' Top names in late-night television — such as Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart and Seth Meyers — have defended Colbert, who has openly raised concerns over Paramount's recent decisions. Letterman was no different. 'Now, for Stephen, I love this. He's a martyr. Good for him, right?' he told his former producers. 'Now we've all got to kiss Stephen Colbert's ring now,' he quipped later. 'And if you listen carefully, you can hear them unfolding chairs at the Hall of Fame for his induction, right?' Colbert, who took the reins from Letterman in 2015, has gone back-and-forth with Trump in recent days. 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' the president wrote in a post on Truth Social earlier this week after the company revealed it would end the show in May 2026. The comedian replied, 'How dare you, sir. Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: 'Go f‑‑‑ yourself.''
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
David Letterman slams CBS' decision to cancel 'The Late Show' as 'pure cowardice'
"The Late Show" creator David Letterman slammed CBS' decision to cancel the long-running late-night franchise in may 2026 as "pure cowardice" on Friday.
