PBS and NPR defunded. Colbert cancelled. This is silencing political critics. | Opinion
The Trump administration has already defunded NPR and PBS. Now the most popular comedian on television is being booted off the air.
- CBS cancelled Stephen Colbert's "Late Show," citing financial reasons, despite it being the most-watched program at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT.
- Colbert's success surged after he began mocking Donald Trump in his monologues, leading some to believe the cancellation is politically motivated.
- The cancellation comes as CBS' parent company, Paramount Global, awaits FCC approval for a merger, with the FCC chair being a Trump appointee.
- Critics, including politicians and the Writers Guild of America, have expressed concerns about potential political retribution and the silencing of dissent.
That was just one of the many “witticisms” Stephen Colbert had for President Donald Trump and his "Late Show" audience on July 21, his first since breaking the news the show was coming to an end. Not in a year. Not after a farewell tour. Next May. No replacement. No streaming continuation.
Yes, CBS made what it called an "agonizing" business decision to cancel the most-watched show at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT, just days after Colbert mocked the network’s parent company for a $16 million payout to Trump.
Colbert thanked CBS but also criticized its anonymous leak to the New York Post that the show loses between $40 million and $50 million a year amid falling ratings and advertising for late-night TV shows. On the one hand, you have those arguing this is simply a case of corporate cost cutting and media evolving. While others are raising the alarm this is a political decision disguised as a financial one.
Both can be – and are – true at the same time.
Ironically, Colbert can trace success to Trump monologues
Before Colbert called his bosses' bosses' settlement with Trump a “big fat bribe," his "Late Show" monologues have taken direct aim – nightly – at authoritarianism, misinformation, corporate cowardice and Trump for nearly a decade.
One could even argue that he owes his success to Trump, because during his initial months at “Late Show,” Colbert faltered in the ratings.
In 2017, however, he began to see a surge of success as he got to mock Trump 1.0 in his monologues. Soon his show was No. 1 in late night, a ranking it held for nine straight TV seasons while simultaneously racking up 33 consecutive Emmy nominations.
Colbert became a go-to voice for Trump-resistant Americans who enjoyed their political despair with a side of satire. In many ways, he took up the mantle left by his old boss, Jon Stewart, offering comedic catharsis in chaotic times.
Despite this context, CBS claimed the decision to cancel was purely financial and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” According to the company, the show had become too expensive to produce amid shrinking ad revenues and changing viewer habits.
CBS is not wrong: Late-night advertising has by some estimates dropped by half since 2018. Anecdotally, I watch a lot of late-night viral clips on my phone, but I can’t tell you the last time I watched any late-night television live on my television.
But not everyone’s buying the "it’s just business" line.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, called for scrutiny while Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, who taped the July 17 show when Colbert broke the news, echoed the concern.
The Writers Guild of America issued a statement suggesting the move raises “significant concerns” about political retribution. There are countless scathing opinion columns, letters to the editor and social media posts containing similar sentiments.
Meanwhile, Trump gloated. He posted on Truth Social, "I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next."
CBS is part of merger that needs Trump administration approval
CBS is just one part of a massive merger between Paramount Global and Skydance. However, the deal is still pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission, more than a year after the proposed merger was announced.
The chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, was appointed by Trump. If you need a clue about whether his loyalties lie with the Constitution or the current occupant of the White House, Carr swapped out an American flag lapel pin for a gold medallion in the shape of Trump’s profile just months ago.
When corporations’ incentives line up so conveniently with silencing dissent, we should be alarmed. Because both things can be true: The economics of late-night television, and the cultural influence of it, has been changing. And the timing of the settlement combined with the end of the "Late Show" is deeply concerning.
Here is how it appears: The Trump administration made it clear that certain media deals wouldn’t get approved unless certain broadcasting decisions were made. That would be the government using its power to punish dissent and influence private business decisions in order for political favor.
Jon Stewart warned that comedians will get sent away first
In his 2022 Mark Twain Prize acceptance speech, Jon Stewart warned, “When a society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first. It’s just a reminder to people that democracy is under threat. Authoritarians are the threat to comedy, to art, to music, to thought, to poetry, to progress, to all those things.”
That’s the part that should concern us. The question isn’t what happens to Colbert (he will be fine). It’s what happens to us: the audience, the public, the people who depend on sharp, fearless voices to cut through the fog.
The federal government defunded NPR and PBS. Now one of the most popular comedians on television is being nudged off the air.
At what point do we stop calling this "just a business decision" and start calling it slow, strategic silencing?
Because when cost cutting trims away the voices willing to laugh at power in real time, what’s really being cut is dissent.
And if that’s not political, then what is?
Kristin Brey is the "My Take" columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column originally appeared.