Stephen Colbert says it’s ‘reasonable’ to think Late Show axing was political

The Late Show will officially end in May next year after more than a decade on air. Photo / Getty Images

Stephen Colbert thinks it is “reasonable” for people to think The Late Show’s cancellation was politically motivated.

The 61-year-old broadcaster shocked viewers in July when he revealed his CBS show was coming off air next year, shortly after he criticised parent company Paramount’s US$16 million ($28.03m) settlement with President Donald Trump and during a time when the studio was waiting for approval for its merger with Skydance.

While CBS insisted the decision to axe the show was “purely financial” and not related to “other matters happening at Paramount”, many speculated that wasn’t the case, though Colbert himself has refused to “engage in that speculation”.

Asked if he felt the show was axed for political reasons, he told the new issue of America’s GQ magazine: “That’s not my reaction to it. My reaction as a professional in show business is to go: That is the network’s decision.

“I can understand why people would have that reaction because CBS or the parent corporation – I’m not going to say who made that decision, because I don’t know; no one’s ever going to tell us – decided to cut a cheque for $16m to the president of the United States over a lawsuit that their own lawyers, Paramount’s own lawyers, said is completely without merit.

“And it is self-evident that that is damaging to the reputation of the network, the corporation, and the news division. So it is unclear to me why anyone would do that other than to curry favour with a single individual.

“If people have theories that associate me with that, it’s a reasonable thing to think, because CBS or the corporation clearly did it once.

“But my side of the street is clean and I have no interest in picking up a broom or adding to refuse on the other side of the street. Not my problem. ”

Stephen admitted he has “feelings” about the end of The Late Show but doesn’t want to discuss them publicly because the programme won’t end until May 2026.

He said: “So people can have their theories. I have my feelings about not doing the show anymore, but you’d have to show me why that’s a fruitful relationship for me to have with my network for the next nine months, for me to engage in that speculation.”

Stephen admitted he was shocked by the decision because he has always had a “great relationship with CBS”.

He said: “It’s one of the reasons why this was so surprising and so shocking that there was no preamble to this.

“We do budgets and everything like that. We’ve done cuts and stuff like that.

“So that’s why it was surprising to me, as I said, but I meant what I said [on air] the next night after I found out, because I couldn’t sit on it. They’ve been great partners. They really have. They’ve been very supportive.”