Stephen Colbert pushes Paramount to 'uncancel its best show' amid Warner Bros. bid
Talk show host Stephen Colbert has called on the parent company of The Late Show, Paramount, to "uncancel one of its best shows".
Colbert's tongue-in-cheek knock at both Paramount and Donald Trump came during the opening monologue of The Late Show, where the 61-year-old seemed to acknowledge the pending finale of his own programme. The Late Show, which Colbert has hosted since 2015 after David Letterman's retirement, will come to an end in May 2026.
The Late Show as a whole, not just Colbert's decade-long reign as host, will come to an end next year. The decision to end the show was roundly criticised by other talk show hosts, such as Jimmy Kimmel who called the reasons for cancellation "nonsensical".
A cancellation order was passed on July 17, with some believing high production costs and declining advertising revenue is part of the reasons for ending the show. But it has been reported that a settlement agreement reached between Donald Trump and Paramount also affected the show's chances of survival.
A statement from Paramount released shortly after the cancellation reads, "Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers."
Colbert has not taken the news of The Late Show's cancellation lying down, either, with the talk show host using his opening monologue to criticise the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros.
He said, "Wow. I've got to say, if my company has got that kind of green, I'm sure they can afford to uncancel one of their best shows." After a pause for applause, Colbert added, "Thank you, thank you, please, please have a seat everybody. CBS you heard the people, bring back The Equalizer. We need our Queen to return. Why do you think America has become so unequalized?"