Topline<\/p>\n
Stephen Colbert addressed the cancellation of \u2018The Late Show\u2019 in his monologue on Monday night, where he repeatedly attacked President Donald Trump and vowed the \u201cgloves are off,\u201d for the next 10 months while he is still on air, as several celebrities and fellow late-night show hosts appeared at the Ed Sullivan Theater to show their support.<\/p>\n
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert promised that the “gloves are off” for the remaining 10 months … More he’s still on air.<\/p>\n
CBS via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Colbert, who briefly addressed the cancellation on Thursday, tackled the issue during his monologue<\/a> and said that it \u201csunk in over the weekend that they\u2019re killing off our show\u2026but they made one mistake, they left me alive.\u201d<\/p>\n As the crowd cheered his name, the late-night host said, \u201cNow for the next 10 months, the gloves are off,\u201d and joked that he can finally say what he really thinks about Donald Trump.<\/p>\n The comedian pointed out that many have been questioning<\/a> \u201cthe timing of this decision,\u201d which came just days after he called out the network and its parent company for agreeing to a $16 million settlement with Trump.<\/p>\n Colbert noted CBS said \u201cvery nice things about me and\u2026the show,\u201d and claimed the cancellation was a \u201cpurely financial decision,\u201d but when people pointed out that his show was number one in ratings, the network followed up with a \u201cgracious anonymous leak\u201d suggesting his show was losing between $40-50 million a year.<\/p>\n Saying that $40 million was a big number, Colbert joked he could see the show losing $24 million, but \u201cwhere would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million,\u201d referencing the settlement with Trump.<\/p>\n What Did Colbert Say About Trump?<\/p>\n Colbert brought up Trump\u2019s Truth Social post<\/a>, saying, \u201cI absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.\u201d As the audience jeered, Colbert reacted with mock outrage and said: \u201cHow dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?\u201d He then turned to the camera and said: \u201cGo f\u2014 your self.\u201d On Trump\u2019s comment that Jimmy Kimmel was \u201cnext,\u201d the Late Show host quipped: \u201cNope, no, no. Absolutely not. Kimmel, I am the martyr. There\u2019s only room for one on this cross.\u201d The rest of the monologue pivoted towards Trump\u2019s ties with disgraced former financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as Colbert said: \u201cThe only other story out there, it’s kind of a small one. The president was buddies with a pedophile.\u201d <\/p>\n Who All Showed Up On Colbert\u2019s Show?<\/p>\n In an apparent public display of support for their colleague, many other prominent late-night hosts appeared during the broadcast<\/a>. Last Week Tonight\u2018s John Oliver, The Tonight Show\u2018s Jimmy Fallon, Late Night\u2018s Seth Meyers and The Daily Show\u2018s Jon Stewart were shown sitting in the audience. They were joined by a few other famous guests, including Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper and Adam Sandler\u2014as Lin-Manuel Miranda and Weird Al Yankovic performed a cover of Coldplay\u2019s \u201cViva La Vida.\u201d<\/p>\n How Did Other Late Night Hosts Address Colbert\u2019s Cancelation?<\/p>\n Colbert\u2019s long-time friend and former colleague, John Stewart, tore into CBS and Paramount in the opening segment<\/a> of The Daily Show on Sunday. Stewart said he was aware that late-night TV is a struggling financial model. \u201cBut when your industry is faced with changes, you don\u2019t just call it a day.\u201d He also questioned CBS\u2019 assertion that the move was \u201cpurely financial,\u201d and said, \u201cOr maybe it\u2019s the path of least resistance for your $8 billion merger to kill a show that you know rankled a fragile and vengeful president.\u201d Paramount is also the parent company of Comedy Central, the cable network that broadcasts The Daily Show, and Stewart has acknowledged that he is unsure how Paramount\u2019s merger with Skydance impacts the future of his show. The Tonight Show\u2019s Jimmy Fallon briefly mentioned<\/a> \u2018The Late Show\u2019 cancellation during his monologue and said many people were threatening to boycott the network. He then joked: \u201cCBS could lose millions of viewers plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount Plus.\u201d<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Last week, CBS and Paramount executives announced<\/a> that the network will cancel Colbert\u2019s late-night talk show and \u201cretire\u201d the \u2018The Late Show\u2019 franchise in May 2026. The network executives said the cancellation was \u201cpurely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night\u201d and added, \u201cIt is not related in any way to the show\u2019s performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount.\u201d However, the timing of the cancelation immediately raised some eyebrows, with many Democratic lawmakers questioning if the move was undertaken to appease Trump or a response to Colbert\u2019s sharp criticism of Paramount\u2019s settlement. Earlier this month, Paramount announced it had reached a settlement<\/a> with Trump to resolve a lawsuit he filed against the network over a CBS News 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that aired last year. Trump had claimed CBS News edited the interview to make the Democratic presidential candidate\u2019s replies appear more competent. Paramount said it would pay $16 million to Trump\u2019s future presidential library, but the settlement would not include any \u201cstatement of apology or regret.\u201d In legal filings<\/a> made before the settlement, CBS\u2019s lawyers argued that Trump\u2019s case was \u201ccompletely without merit.\u201d However, reports said<\/a> Paramount\u2019s chair, Shari Redstone, was keen to settle as the company needed federal approval to complete its multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dozens of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the Ed Sullivan Theater to protest CBS’s … More cancelation of the Late Show.<\/p>\n Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n The protestors carried posters and chanted “Trump must go, Colbert must stay.”<\/p>\n Anadolu via Getty ImagesFurther Reading<\/p>\n Colbert Late Show Cancellation Blasted By Democrats And Trump Critics<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n