In a move that has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and late-night landscape, CBS announced it will cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this May, ending both Colbert’s run and a late-night franchise that has defined American television for more than 30 years. However, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is among a growing group of politicians and entertainers calling for an investigation.
CBS executives framed the decision as “purely a financial one,” citing a “challenging backdrop in late night,” despite The Late Show being the most-watched program in its time slot and a consistent ratings leader across platforms.
“Our admiration, affection and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult,” said CBS President and Paramount Co-CEO George Cheeks in a statement that emphasized the move was not connected to “performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
But the WGA isn’t buying it.
In a blistering joint statement released Friday, the WGA East and WGA West raised serious concerns about the timing and motivations behind the cancellation, just days after Colbert criticized Paramount’s controversial settlement of a lawsuit brought by President Trump.
On July 2, Paramount paid $16 million to settle what the WGA called a “baseless” defamation suit filed by Trump against 60 Minutes and CBS News. Then, during the July 15 episode of The Late Show, Colbert openly mocked the settlement on air, referring to it as a “big fat bribe” aimed at securing political favor for the proposed merger between Paramount and Skydance.
Less than 48 hours later, the show was canceled.
“For ten years, The Late Show has been one of the most successful, beloved, and profitable programs on CBS,” the WGA stated. “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 cancellation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration.”
The guild warned that while cancellations are part of the television business, terminating a program “in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society.”
The WGA’s statement highlighted an alarming trend of attacks on the free press under Trump’s leadership, pointing to lawsuits against major networks like CBS and ABC, threats of litigation against critical media coverage, and the recent defunding of public broadcasters PBS and NPR.
Calling the situation “unconscionable,” the WGA urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to join California in investigating Paramount’s conduct and the potential political motivations behind Colbert’s ouster.
“We call on our elected leaders to hold those responsible to account,” the statement continued, “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.”
The WGA affirmed its support for the Late Show writers and pledged to explore every legal and political option to defend its members and the principle of free speech in the entertainment industry.
Reel 360 will continue to follow this story as it develops.
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