Comedian Stephen Colbert’s 10th anniversary of hosting CBS’ “The Late Show” is coming up on September 8, but according to a report, the network – in a major breach of late night etiquette – is not planning a celebration.
CBS is cancelling Mr. Colbert’s show, and “The Late Show franchise,” with the series finale scheduled for May. It’s no surprise, therefore, that CBS would be reluctant to devote marketing resources to a franchise headed for termination.
However, LateNight’s Bill Carter suggests it is still odd not to celebrate the anniversary, writing, “Would people not celebrate Joe Superstar’s 20th season with the home team because he’s already announced it’s his last hurrah patrolling center field?”
“No. There would still be ‘Joe Superstar Day’ at the ballpark, where the fans could pay tribute to his great achievements, and the team could present him with a lovely, state-of-the-art, high-speed riding mower and a commemorative plaque to be hung on the wall outside the executive dining room on the loge level,” said Mr. Carter, who covered television – especially late night television – for the New York Times for decades before, in retirement, emerging as a fierce critic of President Trump.
Mr. Carter says that with only two weeks until Mr. Colbert’s anniversary, “network insiders say there are no plans for a ‘Colbert Day’ at CBS, at least not in the way networks have traditionally feted their longtime late-night stars: with [a] prime-time anniversary special.”
Such anniversary specials have become a tradition for late-night hosts, going back to specials celebrating Johnny Carson during the heyday of late night TV. In recent years, they have provided networks with the opportunity to get attention for what’s now widely considered to be a dying format by making the anniversaries appear important.
In May 2024, NBC’s Jimmy Fallon got a two-hour primetime special to commemorate the 10th anniversary of hosting “The Tonight Show,” which featured a compilation of interviews, music, and sketches from his first decade hosting the program. The spectacle averaged only 3.5 million viewers.
In 2023, ABC celebrated Jimmy Kimmel’s 20th anniversary of hosting. And in 2024, NBC threw a 10th anniversary celebration for Seth Meyers, which included an appearance by President Biden.
Even in more drama-filled times, networks have held anniversary events for late-night hosts. When NBC passed over David Letterman to replace Mr. Carson, which was widely seen as a snub, for Jay Leno, the network still held a 10th anniversary special for Mr. Letterman.
Whether or not Mr. Colbert wants a celebration of his 10 years is unclear. He previously praised CBS – while trashing Paramount – and called his network bosses great partners. A celebration would also potentially give him time to bask in the celebrities and other fans’ decrying the end of his show, and to cast himself as a martyr yet again.
While Mr. Colbert is one of CBS’ most recognizable stars, there have been reports that his show was losing as much as $50 million a year. And he has likely only further frustrated his bosses by accusing Paramount of paying Mr. Trump a “big fat bribe” to settle his lawsuit against CBS, and telling the president to “go f— yourself.”
It is possible that CBS will plan such an event closer to the end of his time at the network. As Mr. Carter notes, such specials usually require far more planning than two weeks. However, it is possible that CBS does nothing big for the fired host, hoping to save money and also avoid drawing further attention to Mr. Colbert’s departure, which has led to questions about whether his show was canceled to appease Mr. Trump and help secure the FCC’s approval of the Skydance deal.
Mr. Colbert has long been a fierce opponent of Mr. Trump, and the comedian has denounced Mr. Trump nightly on his program for the last decade. But CBS has said the decision to end his show was purely a financial one.
But fans of Mr. Colbert have rejected that. Mr. Kimmel did not deny that linear television is in decline. However, he said it is “nonsensical” to assert that Mr. Colbert’s show was losing money.
“These alleged insiders who supposedly analyze the budgets of the shows −I don’t know who they are, but I do know they don’t know what they’re talking about,” Mr. Kimmel told Variety in an interview. “It really is surprising how little the media seems to know about how the media works. There’s just not a snowball’s chance in hell that that’s anywhere near accurate. Who knows what’s true? All I know is they keep paying us.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren suggested there were political considerations behind the firing, saying in a statement, “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just three days after Colbert called out CBS owner Paramount for its $16 settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”
Senator Adam Schiff, who was scheduled as a guest on the day CBS announced the end of Mr. Colbert’s show, also suggested that there could have been “political reasons” behind the decision.
In a letter to the FCC this week, Mr. Schiff raised concerns that the agency is trying to influence content decisions at Paramount and CBS and asked if anyone at the commission had discussions with Skydance or Paramount representatives about cancelling the show.
Meanwhile, Senator Chris Murphy suggested CBS was providing “monetary and political favors” to Mr. Trump, citing the “bone-chilling” decision to cancel Mr. Colbert’s show.
CBS did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
