Jon Stewart lambasted CBS’ determination to cancel “The Late Present With Stephen Colbert” on Monday’s episode of “The Each day Present,” ripping their shared father or mother firm, Paramount World, for what he known as a capitulation to President Donald Trump.
Stewart referred to Paramount’s meant merger with Skydance in an $8 billion deal, which is pending authorities approval, and mentioned exhibits like “The Late Present” made CBS that cash.
“Reveals that say one thing, exhibits that take a stand, exhibits which might be unafraid,” Stewart mentioned. “This isn’t a ‘We communicate reality to energy’ — we do not. We communicate opinions to tv cameras. However we strive. We f—— strive, each evening.
“And for those who consider, as firms or as networks, you can also make your self so innocuous which you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you’ll by no means once more be on the boy king’s radar — a.) why will anybody watch you? And you might be f——- mistaken.”
The profanity-laced section, which aired uncensored, culminated in Stewart main a church choir encouraging establishments to “sack the f— up” or “go f— your self.” (Cable channels like Comedy Central, which airs “The Each day Present,” are not topic to the identical profanity rules as community stations.)
Paramount and Comedy Central didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Minutes later, Colbert on “Late Night time” echoed Stewart in responding to Trump’s celebrating his present’s cancellation, providing his personal “go f— your self” to the president.
Stewart’s diatribe comes lower than every week after it was introduced that CBS can be canceling “The Late Present,” a stalwart of late-night tv that Colbert took over in 2015. CBS mentioned it was “purely a monetary determination” and “not associated in any approach to the present’s efficiency, content material or different issues taking place at Paramount.”
Nonetheless, the information shook the leisure business and instantly fueled hypothesis that Colbert’s present, which commonly skewered President Trump, had been a casualty of Paramount World’s efforts to merge with Skydance Media.
That deal has been the topic of specific scrutiny because it awaits approval from Trump’s Federal Communications Fee.
Whereas media mergers and acquisitions have lengthy been the topic of regulatory scrutiny over the skin energy of consolidated corporations, the Paramount-Skydance deal has taken on a very political taste. Final week, David Ellison, Skydance’s CEO, met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and made a promise to embrace “various viewpoints” that can replicate “the numerous ideological views of American viewers.”
Since Skydance introduced its intention to merge with Paramount in an $8 billion transaction a yr in the past, the deal has confronted a number of delays — first underneath the outgoing Biden administration, then underneath Trump, who accused CBS Information’ marquee program, “60 Minutes,” of distorting an interview with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris through the 2024 election and subsequently filed a lawsuit.
Whereas many authorized consultants considered the swimsuit as frivolous, media experiences mentioned Paramount boss Shari Redstone favored exploring a settlement with Trump as a approach to overcome additional regulatory hurdles.
The settlement, for $16 million, was introduced earlier this month.
The settlement, and the negotiations main as much as it, rankled a number of high-profile members of CBS. “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley mentioned in June that such an settlement can be “very damaging” to CBS and Paramount. In April, longtime “60 Minutes” editor Invoice Owens stepped down, citing this system’s lack of editorial independence. CBS Information boss Wendy McMahon stop a month later.
On Monday’s episode of “The Late Present,” Colbert blasted the settlement as a “huge fats bribe.“
Stewart and Colbert have been shut for years, relationship again to when Colbert joined “The Each day Present” in 1997. In 2005, “The Colbert Report” debuted, airing after “The Each day Present” and launching Colbert into stardom.
Skydance is run by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison. Whereas the youthful Ellison made a donation to President Joe Biden’s reelection fund in February 2024 shortly earlier than the previous president bowed out of the race, Trump just lately signaled his consolation together with his takeover of Paramount and its belongings, which along with CBS Information additionally embody Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, The CW, MTV, BET and movie franchises like “Smurfs” and “Sonic the Hedgehog.”
Stewart on Monday’s “The Each day Present” mentioned that Colbert challenged himself with taking up “The Tonight Present,” with its vastly bigger viewers and scrutiny.
“Watching Stephen exceed all expectations within the position and develop into the No. 1 late-night present on community tv has been an simple nice pleasure for me — as a viewer and as his buddy,” Stewart mentioned.
Stewart acknowledged that late-night tv is a struggling monetary mannequin. “We’re all principally working a Blockbuster kiosk within a Tower Data,” he mentioned, however he added that when industries change, abandonment shouldn’t be the reply.
“When CDs stopped promoting, they did not simply go, ‘Oh, effectively, music, it has been a superb run,'” he mentioned.
Stewart, who mentioned final week that he had not heard from Paramount about his present underneath the merger, made a joke about his personal future.
“This isn’t the second to provide in,” Stewart mentioned. “I’m not giving in. I’m not going anyplace — I believe.”
