Stephen Colbert's cancellation looks politically motivated to Elizabeth Warren, Mike Schur

Jimmy Kimmel and Senator Adam Schiff also had choice words for CBS and its decision to end The Late Show.

By Drew Gillis | July 18, 2025 | 9:55am

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Stephen Colbert's cancellation looks politically motivated to Elizabeth Warren, Mike Schur

Last night, Stephen Colbert shared the news that not only had he lost his job as host of The Late Show, but that CBS had decided to end The Late Show franchise altogether. With the news, the network shared that the move was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” While it’s true that late night and linear TV in general faces unique challenges in the streaming age (as anyone who watched the latest season of Hacks is likely aware), it’s also true that Colbert used the show on Monday to criticize CBS’s parent company Paramount for its $16 million settlement with President Trump.

We here at The A.V. Club are not in the position to suggest that there is any kind of explicit correlation between these two events, but Massachusetts senator and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is. “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery,” the senator wrote on X. “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” Earlier this month, Warren suggested that Paramount’s settlement was “bribery in plain sight,” noting that Paramount “refused to provide answers to a congressional inquiry.”

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Warren is hardly the only person to wonder aloud if Colbert’s departure has something to do with Paramount and Trump’s relationship. “When media companies cancel Late Night shows to appease fascist presidents, America fucking ends,” wrote Parks And Recreation creator Mike Schur on Bluesky. “If you think for one second that this decision has nothing to do with Trump, don’t worry, he will brag about it within the next 24 hours and disabuse you of that notion.” California senator Adam Schiff, who appeared on The Late Show just this week, also wrote on X, “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.” Though stopping short of suggesting a political motivation, fellow late night host Jimmy Kimmel also showed support on Instagram, writing, “Fuck you and all your Sheldons CBS.” If nothing else, it seems like Colbert will have no shortage of willing and vocal guests during his last few months on air.