Embattled funnyman Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” grew to become a “therapy” session for the left — and it’s no shock viewers took discover, a brand new examine discovered.
Since 2022, Colbert has hosted 176 left-leaning friends and just one Republican on soon-to-be cancelled “The Late Show,” in accordance with a examine by media watchdog NewsBusters — a staggering imbalance that has tracked along with his 2025 visitor checklist.
In simply the primary six months of this yr, the present booked 43 left-leaning political friends — and 0 conservatives — main all late-night packages in partisan tilt.
“Colbert’s show has been late-night group therapy for liberals,” NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck advised The Submit. “Americans have continually shown they no longer have the time or patience for such partisan sneering masquerading as comedy.”
Colbert’s roster included 14 Democratic politicians and 29 liberal journalists or celebrities, together with socialist Huge Apple lawmakers resembling mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander, plus big-name Democrats like Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker.
The media crowd featured MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, HBO’s John Oliver and New York Occasions columnist Ezra Klein.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) was the one conservative to seem on “The Late Show” since 2022, making her Colbert’s lone right-leaning visitor throughout that interval.
The 2 sparred on-air in December 2023, with Cheney pushing again towards Colbert’s critiques of the GOP and Donald Trump.
Cheney has since been a infamous critic of Trump, constantly talking out towards his affect within the Republican occasion and even campaigning with Kamala Harris in the course of the 2024 election.
She couldn’t be reached for remark.
Colbert additionally hosted former Illinois Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger in January 2025, although the examine didn’t depend him within the tally because of his repeated criticism of Trump and feedback aligning with Democrats — together with a 2024 interview the place he mentioned there’s “nothing more conservative” than voting for Kamala Harris, Houck mentioned.
The examine’s launch got here a couple of weeks earlier than CBS introduced “The Late Show” might be canceled in Might 2026.
The community cited huge monetary losses and known as the transfer “purely a financial decision.”
However the timing raised eyebrows.
Simply three days earlier, Colbert used his June 30 monologue to slam CBS guardian firm Paramount World for settling a $16 million defamation lawsuit with Donald Trump.
The settlement helped clear the way in which for Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance Media — a deal authorised Thursday by the Trump-led Federal Communications Fee.
“It’s a ‘big fat bribe,’” Colbert whined to viewers and warned, “They left me alive. And now for the next 10 months, the gloves are off.”
The jab sparked hypothesis that the cancellation wasn’t nearly rankings or income.
Some CBS staffers reportedly known as the choice “chilling,” whereas others mentioned the numbers spoke for themselves — pointing to The Late Present’s huge $100 million-plus annual funds and dear $40 to $50 million yearly losses, all whereas its viewers retains shrinking.
“Year after year of this show has been defined by unrepentant sneering, visceral hatred for more than half the country,” Houck mentioned.
“So between that and the precipitous decline in linear TV subscribers providing a steady revenue stream, Paramount was left with no choice.”
CBS and Paramount didn’t instantly reply to The Submit’s requests for remark.
Since 2022, NewsBusters tracked 511 liberal or Democratic friends throughout late-night TV, in comparison with simply 14 conservatives and Republicans.
The examine coated the exhibits of 5 main late-night hosts: Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon and The Each day Present.
Within the first six months of 2025, “The Daily Show” stacked 32 left-leaning friends, Meyers had 16, Kimmel 10 and Fallon 5.
Not a single conservative, except for “The Daily Show’s” lone outlier: coverage skilled Oren Cass who spoke on Trump-era tariffs, NewsBusters discovered.
“The Daily Show” introduced again Jon Stewart as its foremost host in February 2024 for Monday nights, after a yr of rotating visitor hosts, with correspondents overlaying the remainder of the week.
NewsBusters’ tally discovered 106 of 107 friends — spanning partisan officers and journalists or celebrities who mentioned politics — leaned left, for a 99% liberal tilt.
Cass, who praised “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart for being open-minded and “genuinely interested” throughout his personal March look, mentioned Colbert appeared to be extra targeted on “reinforcing a dogmatic worldview and trying to preach to a choir.”
Colbert, who didn’t return a request for remark, will keep on air via subsequent spring.
Over at rival networks, Kimmel is about to movie the ultimate season of his three-year deal this fall, whereas Fallon and Meyers re-upped final yr to remain on via 2028.
President Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon mentioned a critical overview is required of the businesses producing late night time TV exhibits.
“The Federal Election Commission and [Department of Justice] must commence an immediate investigation into these companies for illegal campaign contributions,” he advised The Submit.
“This is a deeply ingrained pattern of criminal behavior to assist the Democratic Party. Colbert’s losses could reach $500 million — that’s simply a contribution in kind.”
