The Writers Guild of America called on New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” expressing “significant concerns” that the decision is “sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration” amid parent company Paramount Global’s impending merger with Skydance.
Colbert himself is a member of the WGA, as are 23 other people on the staff of “The Late Show.” With the ending of Colbert’s run — and the outright cancellation of “The Late Show” — so hot on the heels of a fiery monologue from the host earlier this week where he referred to Paramount’s settlement with the president as a “big fat bribe,” questions have been raised about CBS’ true motives. The WGA’s statement echoed these concerns.
“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,” the statement reads. “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 decision to cancel “The Late Show” was announced by Colbert during a Thursday taping of the show. Paramount Global Co-CEO George Cheeks, CBS president Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf quickly released a joint statement, calling the cancellation a financial decision that “is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
But there is an elephant in the room that has many wondering if finances were the true cause. Earlier in the week, Colbert returned to “The Late Show” after a vacation and used his monologue to address parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump. In his monologue, Colbert called the settlement “a big fat bribe” to appease the president in a bid for approval for Paramount’s potential merger with Skydance Media.
Celebrities, politicians, journalists and audiences have questioned whether CBS’ cancellation was truly a financial decision in the wake of Colbert’s recent monologue. As the WGA statement points out, “The Late Show” has been the best performing program in its time slot. The WGA called on an investigation into “potential wrongdoing at Paramount” in light of this news.
Read the union’s full statement here:
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.
In the meantime, the Writers Guild of America will support our members at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and across the late-night industry as they speak truth to power and we will explore all potential legal and political avenues to fight for our members in the aftermath of this decision.
More to come…
