The repercussions from the firing of Stephen Colbert and the ending of The Late Show are still being felt. Fans are shocked. People are threatening to cancel their Paramount+ subscription in protest. The Late Night community is wondering what other shoes may be about to drop.
The fact that this happened as Paramount is on the verge of being purchased by Skydance has not been lost on people. Expectations are that there will be major shakeups at CBS, and now a source reportedly close to Skydance CEO David Ellison has revealed to The Financial Times (via The Daily Mail) how the incoming team might really feel about Colbert and others as they begin to take over CBS. He said…
The news lost its way - it became extreme, elitist, and performative. People like Colbert and others act like they're the IP [intellectual property], the value, when it's the brand and journalism that matter. We need to get back to fundamentals. That's what David and his team believe.
It’s unclear just who this unnamed source is, beyond allegedly being somebody “close” to David Ellison. As such, a statement suggesting Ellison’s motives should be taken with a grain of salt. FT also claims sources say Ellison was not involved at all in the Colbert decision.
However, if this is an accurate representation of Ellison’s feelings about Colbert, it may ultimately be a good thing that Colbert won’t be working under the new regime for very long. The FCC officially approved the merger last week, though it will likely be several more months before the deal is finalized.
It should be pointed out that Stephen Colbert isn’t a journalist. He only played one on The Colbert Report. He is, in fact, a comedian, and there’s certainly an argument to be made that he is the IP when it comes to The Late Show. Who the host of a late-night talk show is will certainly be a major determining factor for people deciding whether or not to watch. Hosts frequently have the job for decades, so deciding who will be a late-night host is a major decision that has caused its share of controversy over the years.
That said, the news is certainly a big part of any late-night show, as it often informs the nightly monologue, which is exactly where the controversy in Colbert’s firing comes from. Just days before the announcement that The Late Show was ending, Colbert addressed Paramount’s lawsuit settlement with President Trump, calling it a “bribe.” It’s been suggested by Colbert and others that the settlement was part of an agreement to smooth the way for the Skydance purchase of Paramount.
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