Stephen Colbert’s Cancellation Is Exactly What It Looks Like

That’s why his final monologue about the settlement was so dangerous to CBS’s incoming overlords. Colbert didn’t just criticize the payment; he named it for what it was. He connected the dots between the money, the merger, and the pressure he might face. He essentially predicted his own cancellation on air.

“Some of the TV typers out there are blogging that once Skydance gets CBS, the new owner’s desire to please Trump could put pressure on late night host and frequent Trump critic Stephen Colbert,” he said Monday night. Then, with his trademark deflection: “But how are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert if they can’t find him?”

They found him. Three days later.

The message to everyone else in media is crystal clear: criticize Trump at your own risk. Even if you work for a major network. Even if you host a successful show. Even if you’re Stephen Colbert.

With Colbert gone, who’s left to challenge Trump on network television? The landscape looks pretty bleak.

Jimmy Kimmel remains Trump’s most vocal critic, but ABC already folded once to Trump pressure, settling a defamation lawsuit with their own payment. How long before Disney decides Kimmel is more trouble than he’s worth?

Seth Meyers continues his “Closer Look” segments dissecting Trump’s policies, but NBC is owned by Comcast, which Trump has repeatedly threatened to investigate.

Jimmy Fallon? He already apologized for “humanizing” Trump by tousling his hair back in 2016. Jon Stewart is back at The Daily Show, but only once a week on Comedy Central (also owned by Paramount, so who knows how long that’ll last), not a major network.

The truth is, late-night TV was already dying. Viewership has been declining for years. Younger audiences get their comedy from TikTok and YouTube, not from guys in suits behind desks. But there was something valuable about having these voices on network television, reaching millions of Americans who might not seek out political content otherwise.