Jon Stewart tore into CBS Monday night over its decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, questioning the network’s motives and accusing its parent company of cowardice in the face of corporate and political pressure.
During his return to The Daily Show, Stewart addressed the recent news that Colbert’s show will end in May 2026, calling out CBS for abandoning its top-rated late-night program.
“The fact that CBS didn’t try to save their No. 1 rated late-night franchise that’s been on the air for over three decades is part of what’s making everybody wonder — was this purely financial, or just the path of least resistance for your $8 billion merger?” Stewart asked, referencing Paramount Global’s pending deal with Skydance Media.
CBS has cited declining revenue and rising production costs as the reason for ending The Late Show. But critics — including Stewart — aren’t buying it. Many see the move as part of a broader corporate strategy to avoid controversy ahead of regulatory approval for the merger, especially after Colbert’s persistent criticism of former President Donald Trump.
“If you think you can make yourselves so bland, so inoffensive, that Trump won’t come after you — you are f**king wrong,” Stewart said, peppering his monologue with expletives aimed at both CBS and Paramount.
Colbert’s exit has sparked an outpouring of support from fellow late-night hosts. Jimmy Kimmel responded bluntly on Instagram: “Love you Stephen. F**k you (…) CBS.” Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon also shared their shock and support on social media. John Oliver called the cancellation “terrible, terrible news for the world of comedy.”
Colbert, who’s led The Late Show since 2015, revealed the cancellation during a taping last Thursday. He previously worked alongside Stewart on The Daily Show and later helmed his own Comedy Central program, The Colbert Report.
Stewart suggested CBS’s decision wasn’t just bad business — it was short-sighted.
“Let’s be honest,” he said. “A big chunk of that $8 billion value came from the shows you’re now canceling and trying to control. That’s where the money came from.”
The backlash comes just weeks after Paramount settled a $16 million lawsuit with Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris — a settlement many legal experts deemed dubious. Trump later claimed to have struck an additional side deal with Skydance CEO David Ellison to air pro-Trump PSAs on CBS after the merger, further fueling accusations of corporate appeasement.
Stewart, who previously called the settlement “shameful,” didn’t hold back Monday.
With Colbert’s exit looming and Stewart’s own show yet to be renewed, the future of progressive late-night comedy on traditional TV appears increasingly uncertain.
