The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS is set to end next year after a 33-year run, a decision the network has described as 'purely financial'. However, the cancellation comes just days after Colbert referred to a $16 million settlement between Donald Trump and CBS parent company Paramount over an interview as a 'big fat bribe'.
According to the Guardian's Washington DC bureau chief David Smith, speaking to Reged Ahmad, the timing has raised questions about whether the decision was truly financial or politically motivated. Smith noted that while CBS insists the move is based on economics, others are skeptical given the recent controversy.
The settlement in question involved a lawsuit from Trump over an interview on CBS, which Paramount agreed to pay. Colbert's on-air comment about the settlement being a bribe may have strained relations with network executives, though CBS has not confirmed any link to the show's cancellation.
The Late Show has been a staple of American late-night television, with Colbert taking over from David Letterman in 2015. The show's end marks a significant shift in the landscape of US talk shows, as CBS looks to cut costs amid broader industry changes.
