People are still reeling from CBS’s sudden cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. While Colbert had early stumbles in his late-night tenure, The Late Show had vastly improved their viewership numbers in recent years, and it was still almost always the #1 show in that time slot for the past seven years or so. I just read that Colbert was bringing in the coveted 18-49 demographic too. All of which to say, the cancellation doesn’t make sense from a financial standpoint, which is the excuse given by CBS, that they based their decision on “financial reasons.” Well, the Writers Guild of America is not buying CBS’s excuses either. The WGA has called for CBS/Paramount to be investigated for bribery, and saying outright that Colbert was fired (and Late Show was canceled) because Colbert called out Paramount/CBS’s $16 million payout to Donald Trump. The payout, or “settlement,” was seen by many as a way for Paramount to facilitate their merger with Skydance. This is the open letter issued by the WGA:
On July 2nd, Paramount agreed to settle a baseless lawsuit brought against 60 Minutes and CBS News by President Trump for $16 million. On July 15, during a regular show of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert went on-air and called the settlement a “big fat bribe” in exchange for a favorable decision on the proposed merger between Paramount and Skydance, a charge currently under investigation in California.
Less than 48 hours later, on July 17, Paramount canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a show currently performing first in its timeslot, giving vague references to the program’s “financial performance” as the only explanation. For ten years, the show has been one of the most successful, beloved and profitable programs on CBS, entertaining an audience of millions on late night television, on streaming services and across social media.
Given Paramount’s recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS News lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America has significant concerns that The Late Show’s cancelation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration as the company looks for merger approval.
Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society. Paramount’s decision comes against a backdrop of relentless attacks on a free press by President Trump, through lawsuits against CBS and ABC, threatened litigation of media organizations with critical coverage, and the unconscionable defunding of PBS and NPR.
The Writers Guild of America calls on New York State Attorney General Letitia James, no stranger to prosecuting Trump for illegal business practices, to join California and launch an investigation into potential wrongdoing at Paramount. We call on our elected leaders to hold those responsible to account, to demand answers about why this beloved program was canceled and to assure the public that Colbert and his writers were not censored due to their views or the whims of the President.
In the meantime, the Writers Guild of America will support our members at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and across the late-night industry as they speak truth to power and we will explore all potential legal and political avenues to fight for our members in the aftermath of this decision.
Post-cancellation, there was a general sentiment of “Colbert will be fine,” and I agree, he’ll be fine, he has money and privilege and awards. He’ll land on his feet somewhere. But I’m glad the WGA is standing up for The Late Show writers and the production team. They make an interesting point about The Late Show cancellation too – that it’s possible that the cancellation was itself part of the “bribery.” The original theory was that Colbert pissed off executives by calling out the settlement to Trump, and he was punished for speaking truth to corporate power. But what if the show was cancelled as part of the larger bribery scheme between Paramount and Trump? What if Trump demanded it? Or what if Paramount was trying to anticipate Trump’s needs and desires? Yiiikes.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, CBS.
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JANUARY 15: Stephen Colbert and wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert arrive at Apple TV+’s 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Party held at Mother Wolf on January 15, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 837643245, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Stephen Colbert, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 21: Stephen Colbert arrives at Paley Fest LA 2024 – “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” at the Dolby Theatre on April 21, 2024 in Hollywood, California.,Image: 866826827, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Stephen Colbert, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon
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- FLUSHING NY- SEPTEMBER 01: **NO NY NEWSPAPERS** Stephen Colbert is seen watching Andrey Rublev Vs Grigor Dimitrov during the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 1, 2024 in Flushing Queens. Copyright: xmpi04x,Image: 904702516, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/mpi04/Avalon
Trump said Kimmel is next. It is obvious Trump’s goons are pressuring the media companies to kill any shows openly mocking / criticizing him. The financial part doesn’t make sense. If you check out youtube clips, even Colbert’s monologue videos are getting millions of click in a few days. That is additional money for the channel besides TV ads. Colbert has a big team of writers. I am glad the WGA is standing up for them.
I think they are leaving the financial aspect pretty vague. If they mean “financial” as in “if we hadn’t agreed to these demands the merger never would have happened”, then I can see how there is actual truth to that statement. I think they are playing fast and loose with their wording. It is a true justification if people are seeing it for what it actually means, but they are letting people believe what they believe so they don’t have to admit it.
I moved to Europe years ago and look forward to watching Colbert’s, Kimmel’s, and Meyer’s monologues on YouTube the next day.
Trump’s an idiot. Jimmy just said that he might not return after his contract expires, so I guess that dingus makes everything is about him. He tried to force ABC to make Jimmy apologize but they told him to f**k off.
I read today, that the 16M was mentioned by Trumps teams as contingent upon other concessions. You can find it if you visit “The Hill” website. It’s all very Suss.
Forget any company that kisses up to that orange an*s!
Here in Canada Paramount has a terrible streaming service.
Settlung with trump was the last straw. I’ll spend my $ elsewhere.
I also hope WGA also investigates ryan reynolds when he wrote the movie script for his wife during strike and he and his wife is going after crew members of the movie who try to stand up to the bullies.
Yeah that’s totally the same as a fascist authoritarian shutting down free speech. Get a grip.
EXACTLY – totally. different. issues.
I’m all for any investigations that have anything to do with Trump – so, go WGA. At the same time, late night TV has been in a freefall with advertisers. Colbert was attracting the right demographic, but not enough of them, and his show is very expensive to produce (the same for Kimmel and Fallon). Talks about canceling Colbert have been going on for a while. And on the third hand, the President (Trump, sadly) has to sign off on the merger (which might make this more extortion than bribery.) I’d love for them to find a huge pile of smoking guns, but the financial realities might be an effective cover up. Still, go WGA.
How is it expensive to produce? Same place every night, no changing sets, same host, just changing guests. How is that expensive in comparison to say a weekly detective show that does location shooting?
At this point, I think CBS owns the building that the theater is in, but it’s an old building with a hefty maintenance/upkeep cost. The theater itself is air conditioned to meat locker levels, so this time of year, that bill has to be obscene.
Colbert said the show has a staff of 200 and most if not all of them are union members. That said, many of them, like the ushers, are not making a lot of money – only a handful of people are making serious money.
I can’t imagine that it has John Oliver’s legal costs (even though one taping I went to was delayed so Legal could sign off on some of the monologue).
It’s not a shoestring production, but it’s not big budget either.
This was a political decision, made to placate the administration. It was absolutely not a financial decision. If it was financial, they would shut down production when they take their break in mid-August (give notice to the unions of the terminations, then shut down) and not kept things going until next spring.
It’s not really like a weekly detective show – it also has the element of a nightly theatrical performance.
According to various reports, Colbert himself gets paid $15 million a year. The show employs a couple of hundred – staff and crew and musicians. It costs to run a theater with a live audience every weeknight, especially when you’re giving away tickets for free. The only way to make money this way is through sponsorship, meaning advertising. Advertising revenue for late night has dropped over 50% since the pandemic and I don’t think CBS is making much from Colbert on their other platforms.
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t a political motive behind this. But I think a financial decision would have had to be made at some point. I think they were keeping Colbert on because he’s a star and has star value.
Paramount (parent company of CBS) is canceling Colbert so Trump will approve its sale to SkyDance. I’ve been filling out this feedback form and inundating them with comments on how disgusted I am that they capitulated to the orange fascist!
https://www.cbs.com/showfeedback/success/
Thanks, Eggbert! I just filled out the form and sent it off. Super easy.
Bribes are legal now, doncha know? All part of the cost of doing business under the regime.
Ah, yes, forgot that recent Supreme Court decision. 🙄
This is out and out coercion I have no doubt. Felon 47 is following the Fascism 101 playbook page by page. And greedy corporations have been falling into goose-step formation one by one, by “settling” frivolous law suits brought by 47, cases that MANY legal experts have said have no merit.
Yes, Colbert will be “fine”. He’s a multi-millionaire, with many investments and income streams; as a poster above said, he will land just fine. But the below-the-line people who work behind the camera, who depend on that not so big paycheck, will be out of work. That’s rarely thought of in cases like this.
As much as I like Mobland and Matlock, I’ve cancelled my Paramount+ subscription. The only thing these greedy corp bastards understand is the dollar.
I really like Colbert; I hope that in the remaining time on air, he’s all over 47 and his Crime Cabal like a MF and burns the house down as goes out the door.
Yes, advertising dollars are down, but it’s throughout broadcast TV not just late night and yes, Paramount sacrificed Colbert to get their deal sign-off from Trump, but bringing in James to investigate will do what exactly? If she finds that there were unethical and illegal business practices that led to the cancellation and brings charges against Paramount and/or our depraved president, will it stop the show from being canceled? Trump will wriggle out of it and the Late Show staff will lose their jobs. Trump will target Kimmel, Stewart, and all critics until the first amendment becomes obsolete. We just watched Democrats hold a press conference about the conditions they saw at that Florida concentration camp and they have done nothing to stop it. No attempt to shut it down and every attempt to silence Trump critics. I’m feeling hopeless. Sorry for the rant, but I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel for any of this.
I feel that way sometimes, too, but we can’t just give up!
He’ll have to shut down social media and his billionaire buddies won’t like that. I hate to say that I have more hope from the billionaire class than from our elected officials, but I’m pretty disheartened, too.
It seems the right wing and Trump’s control of the media is reaching frightening proportions in the U.S. Who is up to slaying the dragon there?
It seems CBS failed to learn from its own history. I encourage Paramount to review The Smothers Brothers Show debacle, which, in addition to artists/performers refusing to work with the network and contract cancellations, featured performers on numerous shows going on “silent strike,” they wouldn’t talk. The highlight of which was every week on the highly popular Glen Campbell Show, Campbell would calmly and respectfully explain why the musicians playing at his Jam session at the end of each show were protesting in silence
Now that’s a great union. Go unions!!!
Agreed. This is why we need more unions, and why Tr*mpers want to dismantle them and the Dept of Labor. Jeff Bezos in particular.
Go get ’em Tish James! She makes me so proud to be a New Yorker.
Yes, Tr*mp is systematically removing voices of dissent and free thought. Getting rid of late night television that lampoons him. Threatening our universities and defunding them. Defunding sources that subsidize college tuition. The unconscionable defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting/NPR/PBS. This is all part of the 10 Steps to Authoritarianism:
https://www.tiktok.com/@underthedesknews/video/7522548029937814798
I think there are other things worth spending on time on than this but it’s just me.
I’m surprised late night tv is still a thing tbh I figured these shows along with talk shows are obsolete with podcasts.
Ugh I’m not into podcasts, seems like everyone got one. I enjoy watching and listening to an audience, since some jokes are visual. Jimmy Kimmel does more than tell jokes for fifteen minutes. He even had Mike Lindell show up but he had to be across the street doing it from a claw machine
I’m old enough to remember the cancellation of the series “Wanda at Large” & “Whoopi” back in the aughts because they called out the Bush administration a/k/a Fascist-lite.
What is surprising to me is how quickly the these (now state run) media outlets are not only acquiescing to his whims but also paying in order to do so. Granted the NYT is to be expected given their history of the only newspaper to not have any reporters killed by Hitler.
Now I’m in support of the WGA calling for an investigation into this but it does rub me the wrong way that the expectation is put on a Black woman again.
It’s more about the office of the New York AG than who’s in it. Although Tish has been doing a great job!
I believe its important to challenge this to the highest level. We can debate the significance of late nights cancellation against all the other destruction happening, but the U.S. must resist every inch tRumps trying to gain. Everything I’ve read about facism says vital to push back at the early stages. Once he gets a toehold it will set a precedent making it easier to steamroll critics. Corporations, billionaires who own media have the resources to take a stand: F*ck you ever money-hungrier stockholders and your merger -do you think capitulation buys you any protection or consideration? This administration has proven they will still ravage your carcass. Stop paying this man off- f*ck your corporate lawyers & your cost/benefit analysis. You will still be destroyed, hollowed out to become christian nationalist/ far right echo chambers.
Thanks for the reminder to cancel my subscription…. 🫵🏼🤌🏼