Stephen Colbert.
At 7 p.m. (CDT) on Thursday (7/17) comes the news that Stephen Colbert’s Late Night Show has been canceled. He has until May before we will have to do without Colbert’s brand of intelligent humor and his insightful interviews of informed celebrities.
Lately, Colbert himself had made jokes about the possibility that his show, which was top-rated, might be yanked from the air waves. The connection that everyone is making is the current attempt by Paramount (Shari Redstone) to sell CBS to Sky Dance and Larry Ellison. Recently, “Sixty Minutes” forked over $16 million for a non-offense, which had to do with airing an interview with Kamala Harris that DJT did not like.
Trump had accused the network of editing in an improper way, which nearly all experts say was not the case. It caused the long-time Director of “Sixty Minutes” to resign and the network—which needs approval from the FCC to sell to Sky Dance—paid $16 million to Trump’s future presidential library.
It was reported by PBS this way: “In a case seen as a challenge to American free-speech principles, Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump over the editing of CBS’ ” 60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in October.
Paramount, which owns CBS, said the money will go to Trump’s future presidential library, not to the Republican president himself. It said the settlement did not involve an apology.
Trump’s lawyer said Trump had suffered “mental anguish” over the editing of the interview by CBS News, while Paramount and CBS rejected his contention that it was edited to enhance how Harris, the Democratic nominee for president in 2024, sounded. They had called Trump’s case “completely without merit.”
NBC explained the news this way: “CBS’ parent company, Paramount, is in the midst of an $8 billion merger with Hollywood studio Skydance. But the deal has been delayed for months as talks with lawyers for President Donald Trump dragged on after he filed a lawsuit over an interview the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes” aired with Vice President Kamala Harris last year.
Paramount agreed in principle on July 2 to settle the suit by paying $16 million to Trump’s future presidential library. However, Paramount Global said at the time, “this lawsuit is completely separate from and unrelated to the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process.” Trump’s FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, is investigating the deal.
Colbert recently criticized the settlement on “The Late Show,” calling it “a big fat bribe.”
And now Stephen Colbert—arguably the best at skewering Donald J. Trump—has been let go for “financial reasons” at a time when his show was #1 in the late-night ratings.
This is what can happen in the United States of America when a dictator takes over the levers of power. Free speech is under attack and Colbert is the highest-profile victim, but almost certainly not the last. This is a move right out of Putin’s playbook.
