Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert bonded over their respective firings under Paramount, with the “Daily Show” star playfully explaining that they were “s–t-canned” by the media conglomerate.
“The term back then was ‘s–t-canned.’ I don’t know what they call it now,” Stewart recalled while discussing “The Jon Stewart Show,” which ran between 1993 and 1995 and was syndicated under the then-Paramount Domestic Television. “We had two more weeks to go, and they put security guards at all the exits … We didn’t have anything of value.”
In response, Colbert, whose final show airs on Thursday on CBS, asked: “That was Paramount, too, right?”
“Son of a bitch, yes,” Stewart quipped. “Let me tell you what happened. So, [Paramount Skydance CEO] David Ellison was eight years old at the time, and he walks into my office.”
Did Politics Kill Stephen Colbert?
Jokes aside, Stewart shared that his show “spiraled so out of control” in the final weeks, adding, “Because I was not a mature grown-up like you are. Letterman was our last guest … He said to me something very profound. He said, ‘Don’t confuse cancelation with failure.’ … But then he said, ‘But in this case it is also a failure.’”
Stewart then took a moment to pay tribute to Colbert’s staff on “The Late Show,” who he praised as being “so game” for whatever he pitched.
“You said something so wise to me once, which was, ‘Get yourself in trouble,’ and it’s an ethos about challeng[ing] yourself creatively, do all these things, and they would always do that,” Stewart added. “And I am, as you know, famously not a particularly good long-term planner, so I would challenge them.”
As Stewart went on, he joked that he was “not talented,” which is why he hadn’t prepared a song or bit to send Colbert on his way. Instead, he tapped Colbert’s team to get the exiting late night host two Barcaloungers, quipping, “You deserve a gift that befits the sacrifice and work that you have put into this show, and that can show you the life you can lead, and the life that I am leading now that I’m not really in show business.”
After reclining in the oversized seats, Stewart called for singer Andra Day to join them on stage and perform “Rise Up” as they concluded the interview. Watch the full interview below.
In January, CBS locked in the final air date for “The Late Show,” which will be May 21. The decision followed CBS’ announcement last summer, in which they shared that “The Late Show” would be coming to an end shortly after Colbert mocked Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, blasting the move as a “big fat bribe.”
However, CBS executives noted at the time that the cancellation decision was purely a financial one.
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on CBS.
