Writers Guild Demands Investigation into Paramount Over Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Cancellation

Courtesy of The New Yorker.

The union representing writers for ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ is urging New York state to investigate Paramount following the show’s abrupt cancellation last Thursday, raising concerns that the decision may have been influenced by bribery.

In a strongly worded statement issued Friday, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) East and West branches called on New York Attorney General Letitia James to launch an inquiry into “potential wrongdoing” at Paramount. The unions cited a precedent set in May when the California State Senate began investigating Paramount Global’s controversial $16 million settlement with former President Donald Trump over edits to a 2024 ‘60 Minutes’ interview featuring Vice President Kamala Harris.

The union stated: “Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society. Paramount’s decision comes against a backdrop of relentless attacks on a free press by President Trump, through lawsuits against CBS and ABC, threatened litigation of media organizations with critical coverage, and the unconscionable defunding of PBS and NPR.”

The WGA’s request for scrutiny isn’t unprecedented. Paramount has been awaiting Federal Communications Commission approval for its proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance Entertainment. After settling the lawsuit with Trump—a legal battle that many experts argued would not hold up in court—the California State Senate announced its investigation. Around the same time, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren called for a review of the deal to determine whether it violated anti-bribery laws.

The cancellation of ‘The Late Show’ quickly fueled speculation that it might be an attempt to appease Trump. Stephen Colbert, a well-known critic of the former president, gained significant popularity during Trump’s first term through politically charged commentary and nightly critiques of his administration.

However, Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks, CBS Entertainment vice president Amy Reinsenbach, and CBS Studios president David Stape refuted these claims. They described the cancellation as “a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” that was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

Trump, meanwhile, celebrated the news on his Truth Social platform Friday morning, posting: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” he said. “His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.”

WGA FULL STATEMENT:

On July 2nd, Paramount agreed to settle a baseless lawsuit brought against 60 Minutes and CBS News by President Trump for $16 million. On July 15, during a regular show of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert went on-air and called the settlement a “big fat bribe” in exchange for a favorable decision on the proposed merger between Paramount and Skydance, a charge currently under investigation in California.

Less than 48 hours later, on July 17, Paramount canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a show currently performing first in its timeslot, giving vague references to the program’s “financial performance” as the only explanation. For ten years, the show has been one of the most successful, beloved and profitable programs on CBS, entertaining an audience of millions on late night television, on streaming services and across social media.

Given Paramount’s recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS News lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America has significant concerns that The Late Show’s cancelation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration as the company looks for merger approval

Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society. Paramount’s decision comes against a backdrop of relentless attacks on a free press by President Trump, through lawsuits against CBS and ABC, threatened litigation of media organizations with critical coverage, and the unconscionable defunding of PBS and NPR.

The Writers Guild of America calls on New York State Attorney General Letitia James, no stranger to prosecuting Trump for illegal business practices, to join California and launch an investigation into potential wrongdoing at Paramount. We call on our elected leaders to hold those responsible to account, to demand answers about why this beloved program was canceled and to assure the public that Colbert and his writers were not censored due to their views or the whims of the President.


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