“CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil defended his bosses on the Tiffany Community for axing Stephen Colbert’s present — whereas additionally taking intention at Jon Stewart for alleging there was a political motive in making the cost-cutting transfer.
Dokoupil, who was famously upbraided by administration for a tense on-air debate with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates over his e book crucial of Israel, broke together with his co‑hosts on Tuesday responsible Colbert’s “one-sided” commentary for his personal cancellation.
Dokoupil mentioned on Tuesday that “no one seems to acknowledge” that “the politics has also changed” lately and that Colbert “got way more one-sided than anything Johnny Carson was ever doing.”
“I think we should reflect on those changes as well. It’s been a big shift culturally in that regard, also for sure,” he mentioned throughout a tense dialogue on the morning present on Tuesday.
Dokoupil additionally torched “Daily Show” host Stewart’s claims that Paramount’s determination to drop “The Late Show” was influenced by “corporate fear.” Stewart’s long-running present airs on Comedy Central, which like CBS is a subsidiary of Paramount.
On Tuesday’s version of “CBS Mornings,” co‑host Vladimir Duthiers spotlighted factors made in Stewart’s monologue by which he defended “The Late Show,”accusing company mother or father Paramount of feeling its merger with Skydance Media was threatened by Colbert’s work.
After the clips of Stewart rolled, Duthiers lamented that regardless of the “financials” and “reality of where linear television is” he was a fan and hated to see the reveals go.
“I do know they’re costly to supply, however they’re a part of the cultural zeitgeist they usually have been a part of tv since that because the starting of tv, he mentioned.
“So that’s why people are reacting the way that they are.”
After an audible sigh, Dokoupil lower in to reject Stewart’s notion that The Late Present represented a major a part of the merger valuation: “No, I understand the emotional views. I don’t have an MBA but he’s not right that the merger, the $8 billion, is based on reruns of a comedy show, no.”
“People are buying the movies and the sitcoms and the sports,” Dokoupil mentioned. “They’re not based on reruns of us either, so I think it’s wrong.”
Co‑host Gayle King interjected, defending Stewart’s declare that Colbert’s present “contributed to” the merger valuation.
“He’s saying it’s all encompassing, the whole package,” Duthiers agreed.
Dokoupil, nonetheless, doubled down.
“Oh, that already happened in the past and he also acknowledged that these late-night shows are what he called like a Blockbuster kiosk inside a Tower Record — so the business is broken,” Dokoupil mentioned.
The cancellation of “The Late Show” got here only a week after the community made headlines for its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris that he alleged was deceptively edited.
Colbert slammed his bosses at Paramount for what he known as a “big fat bribe” that was paid to Trump.
The Put up has sought remark from CBS Information, Paramount, Stewart and Colbert.
CBS mentioned final week that it’ll finish “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and retire the whole franchise in Could 2026, calling the transfer “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks reiterated the monetary rationale as business information present the economics have soured.
Broadcast late‑evening advert income fell to about $220 million in 2024 from $439 million in 2018, and advert spend on “The Late Show” slid from roughly $121 million in 2018 to about $70 million in 2024 amid shrinking audiences.
