While The Late Show may be no longer, it seems that the entertainment and broadcast world has not seen the last of its host until the end, Stephen Colbert (). Just one day after the final episode aired, he appeared as guest host on Michigan public access TV show Only In Monroe. However, according to Deadline, the appearance has become a point of contention in the “CBS v. Colbert” online debate as the network has seemingly been issuing takedown notices to users for reuploading it.
The (about) one hour-long segment was posted in its entirety to YouTube channel under Colbert’s name – created in late April of this year – and self-described as “The official YouTube channel of Stephen Colbert.” Several special guests appeared throughout the slot, with a late-night format featuring interviews and Michigan-centric news. Notably, it was a reprisal of his initial appearance in 2015 prior to hosting The Late Show, serving as the endcap for his 11-year tenure as a late-night television host. At this point in time, it is the only video on the channel, but Deadline suggests that there may be more to come should Colbert follow the precedent of prior comics and content creators who have gained newfound platforms via YT.
View the full episode below, via Stephen Colbert’s official YouTube channel.
As the final episode of The Late Show garnered the largest amount of viewers ever during Colbert’s tenure, the internet’s eyes turned swiftly to this new content, which also equally as swiftly became the center of (what was speculated to be) further attempt for control by CBS Studios when clips spread across social media platforms were issued takedown notices, reports Deadline. The aforementioned reposts of the video and associated clips have also garnered more views and attention compared to the original source, further motivating the copyright strikes from these past several days through YT.
Deadline reported that, although it is true CBS had been issuing the takedown notices, they were supposedly warranted on the grounds that the Only In Monroe episode hosted by Colbert was funded and under copyright – ergo, it isn’t exactly unexpected. Although, the unanticipated backlash from internet audiences as their copyright strikes became public has led CBS to forego the process for the time being.
From Deadline, a CBS spokesperson spoke on the alleged speculations floating around of mean-spirited censorship:
“Stephen Colbert’s return to Monroe in the Only in Monroe episode was financed and produced by CBS Studios and was posted on Stephen Colbert’s YouTube channel in collaboration with Monroe Community Media and The Late Show’s YouTube channels. […] As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorized websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent such as Stephen Colbert. However, for this episode, [we] have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review.”
It now seems to be in the air as to whether or not CBS and Colbert are continuing a relationship after the retirement of the Late Show franchise, considering how there was no outward mention prior in the segment of CBS/Paramount’s hand in assisting. The question also remains of what the implications could be, as the last months of life for The Late Show were largely defined by Colbert and his ribbing of CBS for the sudden retirement.
Originally as well, many critics of the network speculated that the decision to end the show, while originally stated to be purely out of financial reasoning, was born out of the new owner David Ellison’s relation to President Donald Trump.
Colbert has been a well-known critic of Trump in the last year, along with fellow late-night TV hosts in recent months as the FCC ramps up on its content standards and evaluations. Trump had also praised the show’s cancellation, implying that “others, of even less talent” would soon follow a similar fate.