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Trump behind CBS canceling Stephen Colbert's show for 'political reasons'? What we know
CBS reportedly canceled Stephen Colbert’s top-rated 'Late Show,' drawing criticism from Sen. Schiff, who questioned if it was politically motivated.
Popular TV host Stephen Colbert's 'The Late Show' has reportedly been canceled by CBS, Senator Adam Schiff said on X. With over 2.03 million viewers in the first quarter of 2025, Stephen Colbert's ‘’he Late Show' was the top-viewed late-night show in the United States.
Questioning the cancelation of the show, Schiff said: “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know.” CBS, however, has called it a “financial decision” and said that show will end in May 2026
Some of the users who had ticket to show posted screenshots that they have been notified about the cancelation by CBS and Paramount.
Notably, the cancellation by CBS came just days after he spoke out on his show about the network settling the $60 million lawsuit with Trump to gain his approval for the sale of parent company Paramount to Skydance.
“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise” in May of 2026,” CBS said in a statement.
“We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television. This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
But, many, including Senator Adam Schiff, questioned if the decision was indeed financial, and insinuated it could be politically motivated. Colbert has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, and in most of his shows, he criticized the Trump administration's policies.
Also read: Why CBS is canceling Stephen Colbert's The Late Show. Real reason revealed
In response to the mainstream US media' allegedly negative coverage of President Trump, his administration has made a push to defund public broadcasting. Targeting organizations such as PBS and NPR, Trump has proposed the elimination of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides support to public media across the US.
Earlier, in July 2025, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, reached a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump over a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris aired in October 2024. Trump had claimed the segment misrepresented Harris's comments through deceptive editing.
