00:00The worlds of politics and entertainment are reacting with shock over the surprise
00:04announcement that CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will come to an end.
00:10On Thursday, CBS and host Colbert said the show will end its run in May 2026.
00:16The network will be ending The Late Show in May.
00:24And...
00:25Yeah, I share your feelings.
00:30In a statement, CBS said the cancellation was, quote,
00:32"...purely a financial decision made in a declining linear TV landscape."
00:37But some entertainment industry figures and politicians are claiming that CBS's move is
00:42linked to parent company Paramount Global's merger with Skydance Media, with the deal
00:46seeking regulatory approval from the Trump administration.
00:50Colbert has been amongst the most prominent critics of Donald Trump on television and has
00:54arguably built his commanding lead in the late-night ratings for more effectively skewering
00:58the president than some of his rivals.
01:00The likes of Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Stiller, as well as prominent Democratic politicians such
01:05as Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff, have taken to social media to decry CBS's decision.
01:10Kimmel, the host of ABC's late-night staple Jimmy Kimmel Live, wrote on Instagram,
01:14"...love you, Steven."
01:15"...you and all your Sheldons, CBS."
01:18Fellow late-night host Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show wrote on Instagram, in part,
01:22"...I'm just as shocked as everyone.
01:24Steven is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it.
01:27I really thought I'd ride this out with him for years to come."
01:30And Stiller said on X,
01:31Meanwhile, Senator Warren, who in May opened an investigation into whether Paramount Global
01:43was engaging in bribery with Trump for the approval of the Skydance merger, bluntly wrote on X,
01:48CBS canceled Cobert's show just three days after Cobert called out CBS parent company Paramount
01:54for its $16 million settlement with Trump, a deal that looks like bribery.
01:59America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.
02:03Senator Schiff shared similar sentiments, writing,
02:05"...just finished taping with Stephen Cobert, who announced his show was canceled.
02:09If Paramount and CBS ended the late show for political reasons,
02:13the public deserves to know, and deserves better."
02:16And President Trump has also reacted to the news.
02:19He wrote on Truth Social Friday morning,
02:21"...I absolutely love that Cobert got fired.
02:24His talent was even less than his ratings.
02:26I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.
02:28Has even less talent than Cobert.
02:30Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined,
02:32including the moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show."
02:36For much more on this story and all the latest updates, go to THR.com.
02:40This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
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