The Writers Guild of America has urged New York state officials to investigate Paramount following the sudden cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, alleging the move may be a bribe to curry favour with the Trump administration.
In a joint statement on Friday, the Writers Guild of America East and West asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to probe “potential wrongdoing” by Paramount. The unions highlighted Paramount’s recent $16m settlement with Donald Trump over a lawsuit against CBS News, which Colbert had called a “big fat bribe” on air.
“Given Paramount’s recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS News lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America has significant concerns that The Late Show’s cancelation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump administration as the company looks for merger approval,” the statement said.
The unions noted a precedent set by the California state senate’s inquiry into the $16m settlement and called on James to investigate. “We call on our elected leaders to hold those responsible to account, to demand answers about why this beloved program was canceled and to assure the public that Colbert and his writers were not censored due to their views or the whims of the president,” the WGA added.
A spokesperson for James’s office said it is monitoring the situation. CBS executives have denied any link, calling the cancellation “purely a financial decision”. However, lawmakers including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have expressed scepticism, with Warren writing on X that the timing “looks like bribery”.
