Jon Stewart Rages Over Colbert Cancellation In F-Bomb Filled Speech
The Daily Show host broke his silence about CBS abruptly announcing an end date to his friend and former colleague Stephen Colbert's top-rated The Late Show.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Paramount and Hybe's K-pop Movie Adds Ji-young Yoo and Eric Nam, Lands 2027 Release
Jimmy Fallon Addresses Colbert Cancellation: "I Don't Like What's Going on One Bit"
Stephen Colbert's Late-Night Allies and Famous Friends Make Cameos on 'The Late Show' After Cancellation
In fact, he might have set an f-bomb record for The Daily Show (all of which aired uncensored, which is unusual for the show).
Some brief background before we get to Stewart's comments: The Daily Show and The Late Show share the same parent company, Paramount Global, which is facing financial challenges amid its effort to close a merger with Skydance Media in an $8 billion deal. The shocking cancellation decision was announced just a few days after Colbert criticized Paramount for agreeing to settle President Donald Trump's lawsuit against 60 Minutes for its former Vice President Kamala Harris' interview. Colbert previously called the $16 million payment a 'big fat bribe' as many considered the lawsuit without merit and Paramount Global's merger has been pending FCC approval.
After showing a litany of examples of companies agreeing to demands made by Trump, he came to last week's news, where Colbert was axed for what CBS claimed were 'financial reasons.'
'Stephen exceeds all expectations in the role [as Late Show host] and became the number-one late-night show on network television has been an undeniable great pleasure for me as a viewer and as his friend,' said Stewart (video below), who worked with Colbert on The Daily Show from 1999 to 2005. 'Now I acknowledge late-night TV is a struggling financial model. We are all basically operating a Blockbuster kiosk inside of a Tower Records. But when your industry is faced with changes, you don't just call it a day. … The fact that CBS didn't try to save their number-one rated 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 it's the path of least resistance for your $8 billion merger to kill a show that you know rankled a fragile and vengeful president who's so insecure that he's suffering terribly from a case of chronic penis insufficiency.'
Stewart was just getting warmed up at this point. He continued: 'I believe CBS lost the benefit of the doubt two weeks prior when they sold out their flagship news program to pay an extortion fee to settle with the president. Look, I understand the corporate fear. 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 fucking shows.'
'What made you that money are shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid…' he said. 'If you believe — as corporations or as networks — that you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar … Why would anyone watch you? And you are fucking wrong.'
Stewart then pointed out that Trump just sued media mogul and Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch over The Wall Street Journal's scoop about an innuendo-stuffed birthday card that Trump reportedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein.
'[Murdoch] is the man who — other than Biden — may be the most responsible for getting Trump elected,' Stewart snarked. 'Fox spends 24 hours a day blowing Trump, and it's not enough. Imagine suing somebody mid-blow — 'finish up down there, and I'll see you in court.''
Wrapped up Stewart: '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 QuickBooks spreadsheets on the financial health of late night. 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. To those corporations and advertisers and universities and law firms, all of them, if you still think that bending the knee to Trump will save you, I have one thing to say [breaking into song]: I know you're scared, I know you're weary, I know your plans don't include me, but these are troubled times, so sack the fuck up!'
Stewart then led a chorus into a chant of telling corporations to 'go fuck yourselves' if they 'bend the knee' to Trump.
Last week, before the Colbert announcement, Stewart speculated on his The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart podcast about whether The Daily Show will survive the Skydance–Paramount merger.
'Unfortunately, we haven't heard anything from them,' Stewart said. 'They haven't called me and said, 'Don't get too comfortable in that office, Stewart.' But let me tell you something, I've been kicked out of shittier establishments than that. We'll land on our feet. I honestly don't know. I think we're the only sort of life that exists on a current basis other than South Park. But I'd like to think we bring enough value to the property, like if they're looking at it as purely a real estate transaction, I think we bring a lot of value. But that may not be their consideration. I don't know, they may sell the whole fucking place for parts. I just don't know.'
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series
22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History
A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour 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.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How Stephen Colbert Has Pushed Back Against CBS With the Help of His Late Night Peers
If you're not watching 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' right now, you're missing appointment television. To say the gloves have come off since Colbert's cancellation announcement last week would be a gross understatement. Not that Colbert really ever held back on his opinions, but a host scorned hath more fury. On Thursday, July 24, he even introduced a monologue cut-away segment 'Show Un-Cancelled.' Of course, that announcement turns out to be a fake-out — and the graphic used for it supposedly cost $40 million. That one's light hearted — no more scathing than what 'Arrested Development' threw down in its last season on Fox (anyone old enough to remember that reference?). Throughout the first week of shows as a fallen angel, however, Colbert repeatedly seemed to play chicken with his network, CBS, and its parent company, Paramount, which just got the OK from the Trump Justice Department for a merger with Skydance (set to close August 7.) Not only did he reference the cancellation and the Skydance deal numerous times, he also went even harder on Trump. More from IndieWire 'Pluribus' First Look: Rhea Seehorn Reunites with 'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Vince Gilligan for New Series About Perils of Happiness How a Scene from 'Get Out' Kickstarted Composer Cameron Moody's Career An then the other late night shows went just as hard (or harder) on CBS and Paramount. On Monday, July 21, most of the other hosts even appeared in a Colbert segment, showcasing support for their competitor. References abounded in their own segments — some humorous, some ominous warnings — including some strong words from Jon Stewart on 'The Daily Show,' which airs on fellow Paramount property Comedy Central. 'Shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid — this is not a 'We speak truth to power.' We don't. We speak opinions to television cameras. But we try. We fucking try, every night,' Stewart said. 'And if you believe, as corporations or as networks, you can make yourself so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar — A) Why will anyone watch you? And [B)] you are fucking wrong.' Fellow hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, meanwhile, seem to be next on Trump's cancellation wish list — considering he called for their cancellation and all. Fallon has been on vacation, and therefore has not had a monologue with which to respond. He did, however, write a statement that told the network, 'Fuck you and all your Sheldons CBS.' On the July 21 show, Fallon said, 'I am your host, well… at least for tonight. I don't like it. I don't like what's going on one bit.' Fallon did get in a dig at CBS' streaming platform, adding, 'And many people are now threatening to boycott the network. Yep. CBS could lose millions of viewers plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount+.' 'The Tonight Show' host also sang about Trump's continued Epstein drama and his late night interests in the song below. Comedy Central seems to have gotten the last laugh — so far, at least — on the whole debacle. The AI-segment seen 'round the world this week came courtesy of 'South Park,' who delivered perhaps the most blistering satire of President Donald Trump yet. This came just hours after the series closed a deal with Paramount to continue for another five years, and just a day before the Justice Department approved the merger. The Wednesday, July 23 episode of 'South Park' also spoke quite literally to the Skydance deal in a scene involving none other than Jesus Christ. 'You guys saw what happened to CBS,' Christ mutters through gritted teeth. 'Well guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? Then on July 25, former 'Late Show' legend David Letterman, Colbert's predecessor, chimed in on his YouTube channel. 'I don't think it was money… it was pure cowardice,' Letterman said, going on to praise 'precise, crisp, witty political satirist' Colbert. He then addressed CBS/Paramount's decision, saying 'What the fuck is Skydance, honest to Christ? Is it a discount airline? Is that what it is? 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 this is gutless. I only wish this could happen to me… Fighting with network television management was number one in the playbook.' But no one went harder on Paramount than Colbert himself. In its statements discussing 'The Late Show' cancellation, Paramount repeatedly made mention of the show's $40 million annual losses. This figure has been questioned, and it was a number referenced repeatedly by Colbert all week. 'I could see us losing $24 million, but where could Paramount have possibly spent the other 16… Oh yeah,' he said on the July 21 episode. In the July 23 episode, he referenced how Trump claimed that CBS/Paramount would be providing another $20 million a year in administration-approved airtime. 'By bending the knee, they lost like $40 million this year,' Colbert said. 'They better watch out. They might get canceled for purely financial reasons.' This was just the tip of the iceberg for Colbert. It almost seems as if the stalwart late night presence is daring CBS to cancel him before May 2026, an idea also postured this week by Time. Certainly his tone was not one that sounds… uh, let's say copasetic, with his employers. But you be the judge. What's Colbert's game? Here's a few of his daring comments from the week's shows, mined from his full monologues: 'Over the weekend it sunk in that they're killing off our show. But they made one mistake: They left me alive!' 'All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't hide who Dumpty humped with his friend.' 'It's not a great look when you fly on the pedophile's plane enough times to earn diamond pervert status.' 'What are you gonna tell me next — that the Pope is in the Catholic files? That a bear is on the cover of this month's Modern Woods Pooper?' And of course, he did also say succinctly, 'The President was buddies with a pedophile.' The gloves certainly are off. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
David Letterman calls out CBS' 'pure cowardice' for canceling 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'
"The Late Show" creator David Letterman slammed CBS' decision to cancel the long-running late-night show, now hosted by Stephen Colbert, as "pure cowardice" and asserted that the network mistreated his successor by canceling the show. Appearing on his former executive producer's podcast, "The Barbara Gaines Show," on Friday, Letterman — who created The Late Show 32 years ago — said he didn't believe the network's claim that the show was canceled for financial reasons, and he sharply criticized both CBS and Paramount for their handling of the situation. "This is pure cowardice," Letterman said. "They did not do the correct thing. They did not handle Stephen Colbert — the face of that network — in the way he deserves to have been handled." The former "Late Show" host tore into Paramount's $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over the editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, stating that the company "decided they didn't care about freedom of the press." Letterman theorized that Skydance Media, the soon-to-be owners of Paramount, wanted to avoid trouble with Trump by getting rid of Colbert, an outspoken critic of the president, before officially acquiring the company. He referred to the founder of Skydance, David Ellison, as "the Oracle twins" during his blistering takedown of the company. "The Ellison twins, the Oracle boys, they don't want any trouble along the lines of freedom of the press or free speech or freedom of expression," he claimed. "They don't want to get their hands dirty. They don't want the government going after them, because that concept of freedom of the press and freedom of speech — that's so old-fashioned." In a hypothetical conversation between Skydance's owner and CBS executives, Letterman laid out how he thought the conversation about getting rid of Colbert may have gone. "So they say to the CBS people, 'Geez, what about that kid, Stephen Colbert? He's always shooting his mouth off about the administration. We don't want any trouble from that guy,'" he said. "So the CBS people say, 'Hey, boys, here's what I'm going to do. Not only are we going to get rid of that guy, we're going to get rid of the entire franchise so you don't have to worry about another guy. It's gone, buddy.'" Although "The Late Show" was reported to be losing approximately $40 million a year for the network, Letterman didn't seem to believe that was an appropriate excuse to cancel the show. "Here's what I know. If they were losing this kind of money, you're telling me losing this kind of money happened yesterday?" he questioned. "I'll bet they were losing this kind of money a month ago. I'll bet they were losing this kind of money six weeks ago. Or they have never been losing money."
