Stephen Colbert has ideas about why Paramount might be short on cash
"Over the weekend, it sunk in that they are killing off our show. But they made one mistake: they left me alive," Colbert said on his show last night. "And now for the next ten months the gloves are off."
Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Stephen Colbert returned to the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater last night, speaking publicly for the first time since sharing the news that The Late Show would be history come May 2026. “Cancel culture has gone too far,” Colbert joked at the top of his monologue. But overall, Colbert used the stage to continue to mock his parent company Paramount and Donald Trump. “Over the weekend, it sunk in that they are killing off our show. But they made one mistake: they left me alive. And now for the next ten months the gloves are off.” Looking directly into the camera, Colbert told President Trump, “go fuck yourself.”
“People have been speculating about the timing of this decision from Paramount,” Colbert said, referencing his criticism of the network last Monday. “CBS, who I want to reiterate have always been great partners, put out a statement saying very nice things about me and about the show, and thank you to them for that” Colbert continued. “They clarified that the cancellation was “purely a financial decision”… but how could it be a financial decision when it was number one in ratings?” he said, going on to reference the supposed losses of $40 million. “I could see us losing $24 million, but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million—oh, yeah.”