CBS has decided to cancel Stephen Colbert’s late-night show.
Tim Walz, the Democratic Governor of Minnesota and former vice presidential candidate, recently commented on the show, stating, “Stephen Colbert is the best in the business. He’s always spoken truth to power and didn’t hold back. No more needs to be said.” It’s easy to assume that making people laugh is Colbert’s primary role.
Some Democrats, visibly upset, have labeled the cancellation as a move by CBS to please the Trump administration. Senator Adam Schiff from California expressed concern, saying, “If Paramount and CBS are ending the ‘Late Show’ for political reasons, the public has a right to know. They deserve better.” Meanwhile, the show’s writers are calling for an investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia James.
This situation may remind those who stopped watching late-night comedy after Johnny Carson departed. Paramount, which owns CBS, is trying to get approval from the Federal Communications Commission for a merger. CBS explained that the cancellation is purely a financial decision, stating that it has no relation to the show’s performance or content.
Colbert reportedly suffered a $40 million loss last year, despite having the best ratings among late-night shows not hosted by Fox’s Greg Gutfeld. That sum is considerable, especially when compared to the WNBA’s collective loss of $400 million per year, though it’s worth noting that Colbert faced this loss on his own.
Since the era of Carson, Leno, and Letterman, late-night viewers aren’t generating the same revenue. Carson’s show used to profit between $50 million and $100 million annually. It maintained the top spot in late-night ratings, capturing around 70% of audience share. For example, during an episode in 1969, nearly 50 million viewers watched performer Tiny Tim get married. In contrast, Colbert averaged about 1.9 million viewers per night in May 2025, with advertising revenue declining by 40% since 2018.
Young audiences are now more inclined to watch TikTok and YouTube content, consuming news clips and streaming shows at their convenience.
This shift in viewership may explain the heightened reactions from Democrats concerning Colbert’s cancellation. Twenty years ago, Pew research showed that around 20% of younger audiences got their “news” from late-night shows, which often critiqued conservatives and Republicans, particularly Donald Trump.
Humor can significantly influence public perception. A 2021 study by the Annenberg Communications School suggested that humor helps in sharing political news and enhances retention of content.
The Media Research Center noted that during the 2024 presidential campaign, late-night shows—including Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” and CBS’s “Late Show”—focused primarily on Trump over Kamala Harris, with 1,428 instances about Trump compared to just 35 about Harris.
When it came to jokes about the vice presidential candidates, MRC found that 302 jokes targeted JD Vance, while only 66 were aimed at Walz.
As for guests during the fall campaign, the MRC highlighted a stark contrast, with 44 liberal celebrities and journalists appearing, yet no conservatives were invited.
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