By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer
Stephen Colbert returned for his first full program after last week’s announcement that CBS was canceling his “Late Show” with some supportive late-night guests, a joke about cancel culture and an extremely pointed remark directed at President Donald Trump.
“I’m going to go ahead and say it: Cancel culture’s gone way too far,” Colbert said to a rambunctious audience that loudly chanted his name.
CBS and parent Paramount Global said the decision to end the “Late Show” next May was purely financial. It hasn’t gone unnoticed — and was mentioned by Colbert Monday night — that the announcement came days after the comic had sharply criticized Paramount’s $16 million settlement of Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview.
Colbert, known for his sharp comic takedowns of the Republican president, said that “over the weekend, it sunk in that they killed off our show. But they made one mistake. They left me alive.”
Now, he said, “I can say what I really think of Donald Trump, starting right now.” As his audience cheered him on, Colbert said, “I don’t care for him. Doesn’t seem to have the skill set to be president.”
Colbert’s personal message to Trump
He read a passage from a Trump social media message saying that he loved that the “untalented” Colbert had been fired.
“How dare you, sir,” Colbert said. “Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?” The show switched to a close-up camera where Colbert appeared to say, “f—- you,” the word bleeped out and his mouth blurred.
Noting CBS’ explanation for his firing, Colbert said, “how can it purely be a financial decision if the show is No. 1 in the ratings? It’s confusing. A lot of folks are asking that question, mainly my staff’s parents and spouses.”
With some apparent irritation, he said some news stories over the weekend reported the apparently leaked information that “Late Show” was losing between $40 million and $50 million a year. Ad revenue for late-night entertainment broadcasts has shrunk sharply as the audience, particularly young men, turn to streaming or other priorities.
“I could see us losing $24 million,” Colbert said. “But where would Paramount have ever spent the other $16 million? Oh, yeah.”
Colbert introduced the odd duo of “Weird Al” Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda to sing Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” In a sly reference to the couple caught on camera last week at a Coldplay concert, “Late Show” cameras panned the audience to find some supportive friends — fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart and John Oliver, as well as Adam Sandler, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.
Jon Stewart takes up Colbert’s cause
On Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” also owned by Paramount, Stewart delivered an impassioned defense of his friend and former co-worker and suggested it was futile to try to satisfy Trump, certainly not by taking away programs that have helped build the company’s value over the years.
“This is not the moment to give in,” Stewart said. “I’m not giving in. I’m not going anywhere. I think.”
On his own show, Colbert turned serious — briefly — to address people who had expressed support for him since the announcement was made.
“Some people see this show going away as the sign of something truly dire. And while I’m a big fan of me, I don’t necessarily agree with that statement,” he said, “because we here at the ‘Late Show’ never saw our job as changing anything other than how you felt at the end of the day, which I think is a worthy goal.
“Or,” he continued, “changing how you felt the next morning when you watched on your phone, which is why broadcast TV is dying.”
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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.