Ex-MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has weighed in on whether or not Stephen Colbert was canceled by CBS for political causes, throwing chilly water on the idea he was axed for his criticism of Trump.
“Sorry. That’s not what happened here. If it had, they wouldn’t be keeping him on until next MAY,” Olbermann stated in a publish on X.
CBS introduced they’d canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Thursday, stating that the over 30-year-long franchise would come to an finish in Could 2026 with no subsequent host taking up following Colbert’s departure.
The present was beforehand hosted by David Letterman from 1992-2015.
Olbermann authored the publish in response to an X person who posted that Colbert’s firing was an indication that the USA had descended into fascism.
“We are officially at the ‘pulling comedians off the air who criticize our dear leader’ phase of fascism,” the person posted over an image of the late evening host.
Following the community’s announcement of Colbert’s ouster, quite a few left-wing politicians and journalists spoke out, alleging that the discuss present host was fired for political causes, speculating that axing Colbert – a fierce critic of President Trump – was an try and placate White Home officers amid a pending merger between CBS’ mum or dad firm Paramount and Skydance.
“CBS’s billionaire owners pay Trump $16 million to settle a bogus lawsuit while trying to sell the network to Skydance. Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late night host, slams the deal. Days later, he’s fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO,” Vermont Unbiased Sen. Bernie Sanders posted on X.
“If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote on X.
CBS settled with President Trump after he sued the community alleging election interference over a “60 Minutes” interview together with his 2024 opponent former Vice President Kamala Harris which he alleged was deceptively edited.
A clip from the interview, by which Harris was requested concerning the warfare in Gaza, was launched on “Face the Nation” previous to the “60 Minutes” broadcast and featured the previous VP delivering a solution that was broadly derided as “word salad.”
When the interview was lastly broadcast, a distinct, extra concise response was swapped as an alternative.
CBS, nevertheless, claimed that “The Late Show’s” cancellation was attributable to monetary causes, saying the present misplaced some $40 million a 12 months. Colbert is No. 1 within the late evening timeslot amongst community discuss present hosts (although he repeatedly comes behind Fox’s Gutfeld), averaging round 2.4 million viewers per episode.
Total viewership for late evening discuss reveals has steadily declined lately, resulting in a lower in whole advert revenues.
Colbert was tapped to host the “Late Show” following Letterman’s retirement after he hosted the broadly acclaimed “Colbert Report” on Comedy Central.
Upon taking the reins of the franchise, Colbert eschewed the well-known system of internet hosting a present that appeals to the broadest swath of People, opting as a substitute for a extremely partisan, Trump-critical program.
Fox Information Digital has reached out to CBS for remark.
When former President Joe Biden gained the 2020 election, Colbert popped champagne on air and danced, proclaiming his pleasure within the election consequence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Biden did it! He’s our next president! I’m so happy!” he proclaimed, including that he cried tears of pleasure upon studying Trump would not be president.
