Latest news with #Keith Olbermann
Fox News
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Keith Olbermann pours cold water on claims Colbert was fired for political reasons
Ex-MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has weighed in on whether Stephen Colbert was canceled by CBS for political reasons, throwing cold water on the theory he was axed for his criticism of Trump. "Sorry. That's not what happened here. If it had, they wouldn't be keeping him on until next MAY," Olbermann said in a post on X. CBS announced they'd canceled "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Thursday, stating that the over 30-year-long franchise would come to an end in May 2026 with no subsequent host taking over following Colbert's departure. The show was previously hosted by David Letterman from 1992-2015. Olbermann authored the post in response to an X user who posted that Colbert's firing was a sign that the United States had descended into fascism. "We are officially at the 'pulling comedians off the air who criticize our dear leader' phase of fascism," the user posted over a picture of the late night host. Following the network's announcement of Colbert's ouster, numerous left-wing politicians and journalists spoke out, alleging that the talk show host was fired for political reasons, speculating that axing Colbert – a fierce critic of President Trump – was an attempt to placate White House officials amid a pending merger between CBS' parent company Paramount and Skydance. "CBS's billionaire owners pay Trump $16 million to settle a bogus lawsuit while trying to sell the network to Skydance. Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO," Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders posted on X. "If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better," Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote on X. CBS settled with President Trump after he sued the network alleging election interference over a "60 Minutes" interview with his 2024 opponent former Vice President Kamala Harris which he alleged was deceptively edited. A clip from the interview, in which Harris was asked about the war in Gaza, was released on "Face the Nation" prior to the "60 Minutes" broadcast and featured the former VP delivering an answer that was widely derided as "word salad." When the interview was finally broadcast, a different, more concise response was swapped in its place. CBS, however, claimed that "The Late Show's" cancellation was due to financial reasons, saying the show lost some $40 million a year. Colbert is No. 1 in the late night timeslot among network talk show hosts (though he regularly comes behind Fox's Gutfeld), averaging around 2.4 million viewers per episode. Overall viewership for late night talk shows has steadily declined in recent years, leading to a decrease in total ad revenues. Colbert was tapped to host the "Late Show" following Letterman's retirement after he hosted the widely acclaimed "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. Upon taking the reins of the franchise, Colbert eschewed the well-known formula of hosting a show that appeals to the broadest swath of Americans, opting instead for a highly partisan, Trump-critical program. Fox News Digital has reached out to CBS for comment. When former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Colbert popped champagne on air and danced, proclaiming his joy in the election result. "Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Biden did it! He's our next president! I'm so happy!" he proclaimed, adding that he cried tears of joy upon learning Trump would no longer be president.
Daily Mail
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Megyn Kelly gloats over Stephen Colbert's cancelation and names 'failure' ex-MSNBC host star 'modeled himself on'
Megyn Kelly has gleefully rejoiced over the cancellation of Stephen Colbert 's late-night show, as she revealed the 'failed' former MSNBC star he is following in the footsteps of. The ex-Fox host, 54, excitedly opened the segment of her show with a megawatt smile as she said: 'Stephan Colbert's show has been cancelled! It's great news, is it not?' CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - just days after the host blasted the network's $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump as a 'big fat bribe.' Colbert's show, which began in 2015, will now come to an end in May 2026, executives with the network and Paramount, its new parent company, announced on Thursday. Kelly told viewers that Colbert's downfall was due to his penchant for platforming left wing politicians. 'He wants applause for political hit pieces, which he really loves to do,' Kelly said. 'So great, why don't we just acknowledge that and stop pretending he's a comedian who is in the business of being funny? He isn't. 'He will fit in perfect at MS[NBC]. He desperately wanted to be Keith Olbermann. And guess what? Keith Olbermann is a failure. And now so are you, Stephen Colbert.' Olbermann hosted his own show on the network from 2003 to 2011 before his $30million contract was abruptly ended after he made several contributions to Democratic campaigns. He was was a major figure in the network's shift toward more progressive political content. 'Hardworking people, at the end of their night, do not want to be lectured by the likes of a bespectacled Stephen Colbert projecting from his diaphragm,' Daily Mail Columnist and guest Maureen Callahan told Kelly. 'They want some laughs. They want some stuff to go down easy and they want to be lulled to sleep.' Kelly agreed and shared clips of Colbert's show on hers, saying this was the example of why 'Stephen Colbert is no more'. They included an opening monologue where Colbert criticized Trump deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles during the anti-ICE protests. In another clip, Colbert commented on Iran 's enriched uranium stores, which the US bombed under Trump's orders last month. 'He should take a meeting over at MSNBC and see if he can get Jen Psaki's failing slot,' Callahan said. Kelly also criticized Colbert's booking choices, instead of spotlighting actors and entertainers, he brought on Kamala Harris and NYC Democrat mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. The network explained that the decision to cancel the show 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,' it added. Colbert announced the cancellation of his program on his show. 'Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending The Late Show in May,' he told audience members, who responded to the news with emphatic 'boos'. 'It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of the Late Show on CBS,' he continued. 'I'm not being replaced, this is all just going away,' Colbert added, telling the audience he was just grateful to be given the opportunity to host the long-running show. Trump trolled Colbert after the announcement, saying that he 'loved' that Colbert 'got fired'. 'His talent was even less than his ratings,' he wrote on Truth Social on Friday. 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next,' the president continued. 'Has even less talent than Colbert! 'Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,' Trump added. The 'moron' in question is Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon. Among the late-night shows, Colbert had the highest ratings. He took over the franchise in 2015, which had originally been helmed by David Letterman. Colbert was already a household name for his Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, in which he pretended to be a conservative talking head, modeled after pundits like Bill O'Reilly from Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. He and The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, who was on right before Colbert's time slot, captured the attention of liberal audiences. When Colbert took over The Late Show, he dropped his conservative caricature act, allowing his left-leaning politics to show openly.
