Why the Colbert Show Cancellation is Political

Stephen Colbert, the host of “Late Show,” announced the show’s cancellation on Thursday. The show, the most-watched of late-night shows, will end in May. The cancellation was called “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” and comes as several late-night shows have been folding. But the decision is not economic, but instead political. Here is my reasoning.

The cable/broadcast business has been struggling in the post-pandemic U.S. For the first time, streaming services surpassed broadcast businesses during June 2025. CBS stated that they were closing the channel due to financial reasons. However, the show stopped doing well financially in 2018, and they just decided to close the channel now. Why?

Here’s why: Paramount, which owns CBS, is set to merge with Skydance, but the Trump administration must approve the merger first. Trump, however, has an ongoing lawsuit against Paramount for editing an interview. Despite having no legal ground for said lawsuit, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million. Through the lawsuit, Trump has now proved he has power over media companies. Is this fair? Is this constitutional? No, it’s not. The president cannot censor the media. This view is shared by many people, including Mr. Colbert, the host of the Late Show. On the show, he blasted Paramount for this. And, out of the blue, he is fired, despite the show not bringing in any revenue since 2018.

As many politicians are saying, if this decision were political, at least admit it. Not doing so is failing the American people due to a lack of transparency. Additionally, the government should not have had a say in what the press writes. The Trump lawsuit, arguing that CBS could not edit an interview, has no place in our Constitution. Although the First Amendment only limits Congress’s power, the freedom of the press is crucial in preventing a To keep our democracy alive, citizens of the United States must protect the First Amendment.