Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” goes dark Thursday night, ending an 11-year run that became one of television’s most sustained and high-profile attacks on Donald Trump — and that critics say was ultimately silenced because of it.
CBS announced last summer the show would end in May, citing economics. But the cancellation came after CBS parent Paramount paid $16 million to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview, while Paramount’s sale to Skydance Media awaited administration approval. Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe.”
Mr. Trump celebrated on Truth Social, writing he “absolutely loved” that Colbert “got fired.”
Heather Hendershot, a communications professor at Northwestern University, didn’t mince words.
“It’s very clear that this was a political decision,” Ms. Hendershot said. “And I think 20, 30, 40 years later, that is going to be strongly remembered about this show — that this was a moment of authoritarian triumph.”
TV historians note there are few precedents. The last comparable case was 1969, when CBS canceled “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” over its Vietnam War opposition.
The 11:35 p.m. time slot will pass to “Comics Unleashed,” hosted by Byron Allen, who has pledged to avoid politics entirely.
“There’s just going to be a huge void,” said Lisa Rogak, author of a Colbert biography. “And I don’t think anybody’s going to really want to step up and fill it.”
Read more:
• Stephen Colbert’s long goodbye is coming to an end, leaving a void
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