Writers Guild Calls on Letitia James to Investigate CBS Cancellation of Late Show With Stephen Colbert Over Alleged “Bribe” to “Curry Favor” With Trump

The Writers Guild of America is urging Trump nemesis New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate CBS owner Paramount over the cancellation of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The Guild accuses Paramount of bribery by firing Colbert to “curry favor” with the Trump administration as it seeks approval for a merger with Skydance.

CBS announced this week Colbert would not be renewed after next season after a ten year run on the network. Reports state CBS was losing $40 million a year on the show. Estimates of Colbert’s salary put it in the range of $10 to $20 million per year.

Paramount recently agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump over deceptive editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Text of the Guild’s statement:

The following is a statement from the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW):

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 cancelled 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.

The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) are labor unions of writers working in motion pictures, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit www.wgaeast.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America West, visit www.wga.org.

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