John Stewart (The Daily Show, The Problem with Jon Stewart) did not mince words when discussing the cancellation of his former coworker’s program, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He furiously told media companies to “sack up” then broke it to a number that may or may not be titled “f**k yourself” on his late-night program, The Daily Show. Via mxdwn, following the airing of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart joined many of his fellow late-night hosts on The Late Show in solidarity with their colleague. This comes amid speculation that CBS cancelled The Late Show due to pressure from Donald Trump. A claim that CBS has denied, stating that the decision was made “purely a financial decision”. The cancellation coincides with a period in which CBS is awaiting the President’s approval for a merger with Sky Dance.
Other celebrities have reacted to the cancellation with similar disheartenment. Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder, Zoolander) shared that he was “Sorry to hear” that CBS was canceling The Late Show.
While other celebrities have made more outright political statements, John Cussak (High Fidelity, Say Anything) replied to a tweet that Stephen Colbert (The Late Show, The Colbert Report) was standing up to fascism.
Additionally, Jamie Lee Curtis (Freaky Friday, Knives Out) spoke to NPR about the show’s cancellation.
According to BuzzFeed, Actor John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge, Spawn) even called for a boycott of CBS.
Rob Schneider (Grown Ups, 50 First Dates) spoke to Fox News about his desire for late-night shows to return to a phase in which they remained apolitical. Specifically citing Johnny Carson (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Looking For Love), stating that “he didn’t alienate anyone.”
Most of Hollywood has seemingly come out in support of Colbert. According to mxdwn, the WGA even called for an investigation into Paramount. The general populace appears to be divided on the cancellation. One user expressed support for Colbert himself, wishing for the return of his former program, The Colbert Report.
While others have stated concerns about the entire media landscape, citing recent cuts to NPR and PBS.
Among those who applauded the cancellation, some have called the show unfunny while others decried Colbert’s political views.
Many have pointed to his vaccine segment, which aired during the midst of the COVID pandemic, as particularly divisive and cringeworthy.
Some prominent podcasters and social media personalities have backed CBS, citing that the show was allegedly losing $40 to $50 million a year, with some believing that this could be the first domino to fall in the struggling late-night television industry.
@popculturebrain Colbert’s Late Show was losing an absurd amount of money for CBS (Sources: Puck News, The Town) #colbert#stephencolbert#thelateshow#latenight#cbs#tv♬ original sound – Alex | Pop Culture Brain
According to mxdwn, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about his admiration for the The Late Show’s cancellation. A statement in which Colbert responded by telling Trump to “go f**k himself.