We here at The A.V. Club are not in the position to suggest that there is any kind of explicit correlation between these two events, but Massachusetts senator and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is. “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery,” the senator wrote on X. “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” Earlier this month, Warren suggested that Paramount’s settlement was “bribery in plain sight,” noting that Paramount “refused to provide answers to a congressional inquiry.”
Warren is hardly the only person to wonder aloud if Colbert’s departure has something to do with Paramount and Trump’s relationship. “When media companies cancel Late Night shows to appease fascist presidents, America fucking ends,” wrote Parks And Recreation creator Mike Schur on Bluesky. “If you think for one second that this decision has nothing to do with Trump, don’t worry, he will brag about it within the next 24 hours and disabuse you of that notion.” California senator Adam Schiff, who appeared on The Late Show just this week, also wrote on X, “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.” Though stopping short of suggesting a political motivation, fellow late night host Jimmy Kimmel also showed support on Instagram, writing, “Fuck you and all your Sheldons CBS.” If nothing else, it seems like Colbert will have no shortage of willing and vocal guests during his last few months on air.