Stephen Colbert responds to theories that President Donald Trump received The Late Present canceled, explaining his perspective on what occurred. The Late Present with Stephen Colbert was cancelled by CBS in July 2025, citing the top of the late-night discuss present as a monetary resolution. The present stays ongoing and can air its closing episode in Might 2026.
Nevertheless, rumors started swirling not lengthy after that President Trump was concerned in axing the present. The ending was introduced not lengthy after Colbert spoke out in opposition to CBS’ mother or father firm, Paramount, for a $16 million settlement with Trump over a lawsuit in opposition to 60 Minutes. US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff additionally pushed the narrative that political components had been concerned.
Talking with GQ, Colbert defined that he understands why some would take into account The Late Present‘s cancellation to be politically motivated. He cites Paramount’s lawsuit settlement as a possible try and “curry favor” with Trump. Nevertheless, he additionally stated he would not wish to speculate, wanting to maintain an amicable relationship with CBS and Paramount whereas his present winds up:
That’s not my response to it. My response as knowledgeable in present enterprise is to go: That’s the community’s resolution. I can perceive why folks would have that response as a result of CBS or the mother or father company — I’m not going to say who made that call, as a result of I don’t know; nobody’s ever going to inform us — determined to chop a test for $16 million to the president of the US over a lawsuit that their very own attorneys, Paramount’s personal attorneys, stated is totally with out benefit. And it’s self-evident that that’s damaging to the repute of the community, the company, and the information division. So it’s unclear to me why anybody would do this aside from to curry favor with a single particular person.
If folks have theories that affiliate me with that, it’s an affordable factor to suppose, as a result of CBS or the company clearly did it as soon as. However my facet of the road is clear and I’ve no real interest in selecting up a brush or including to refuse on the opposite facet of the road. Not my downside. So folks can have their theories. I’ve my emotions about not doing the present anymore, however you’d have to indicate me why that’s a fruitful relationship for me to have with my community for the following 9 months, for me to have interaction in that hypothesis.
As well as, Colbert stated he has a “nice relationship with CBS,” explaining the way it made their resolution to cancel the present really feel so sudden. He praised them for the work he is been in a position to do with them, stating that he nonetheless has a powerful relationship with them regardless of the approaching finish of his present:
It’s one of many the reason why this was so stunning and so surprising that there was no preamble to this. We do budgets and the whole lot like that. We’ve completed cuts and stuff like that. In order that’s why it was stunning to me, as I stated, however I meant what I stated [on air] the following evening after I discovered, as a result of I couldn’t sit on it. They’ve been nice companions. They actually have. They’ve been very supportive.
Colbert’s present is not the one late-night discuss present to be combined up within the present political administration. Jimmy Kimmel Stay! was briefly taken off the air after the host’s controversial feedback concerning the assassination of Charlie Kirk and made faulty claims about shooter Tyler James Robinson. His present stays on-air at ABC after having been pulled for per week.
All publicly obtainable info signifies The Late Present was canceled for monetary causes. Nevertheless, the timing of its cancelation coupled with Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison’s constructive relationship with Trump makes it simple for rumors to unfold. Colbert, nonetheless, would not wish to speculate, citing the numerous months forward he has on the community producing extra episodes of the present.
Since CBS’ official reasoning is monetary, The Late Present‘s ending most likely will not get some other concrete response. There is not any arduous proof supporting the collection was canceled for political functions, that means all it will quantity to for now could be hypothesis. All that is clear is Colbert needs to complete the present on good phrases with the community and their mother or father firm.
- Showrunner
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Christopher Andrew Licht
- Administrators
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Jake Plunkett, Jim Hoskinson, Ballard C. Boyd
- Writers
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Emmy Blotnick, Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert
