NEED TO KNOW
- Jon Stewart is firing back at Paramount and CBS amid their decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- He alleged political censorship was at play
- He told the network “Go f— yourself”
Jon Stewart is firing back at Paramount over its decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
In the Monday, July 21 ,episode of The Daily Show, Stewart, 62, spoke on the recent announcement that The Late Show will be ending in May 2026.
“I understand the corporate fear,” Stewart said. “I understand the fear that you and your advertisers have with $8 billion at stake, but understand this, truly, the shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those f—— shows. That’s what made you that money.”
The Daily Show host continued to speak on the role politics plays in late night television, adding, “Shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid. Believe me, this is not a ‘We speak truth to power’. We don’t; we speak opinions to television cameras, but we try. We f—— try every night. If you believe as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king’s radar, [firstly] why will anyone watch you and you are f—— wrong.”
On July 17, parent company CBS told PEOPLE in a statement that they canceled The Late Show after 10 seasons in “a financial decision.” The cancellation came three days after Colbert, 61, slammed Paramount over its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, who alleged that CBS News’ 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles: it’s ‘big, fat bribe,’ ” Colbert said on The Late Show on July 14.
“You want to know how impossible it is to stay on Lord Farquaad’s good side? Donald Trump is suing Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, the man other than Biden, maybe most responsible for getting Trump elected. Fox spends 24 hours a day blowing Trump, and it’s not enough. Imagine suing someone mid-blow,” Stewart added, referencing Trump’s lawsuit regarding a piece in The Wall Street Journal that reported on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
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Stewart then addressed the public speculation surrounding the reason for Colbert‘s cancellation. “If you’re trying to figure out why Stephen’s show is ending, I don’t think the answer can be found in some smoking gun email or phone call from Trump to CBS executives or in CBS’ QuickBooks spreadsheets on the financial health of late night.”
He continued, “I think the answer is in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America’s institutions at this very moment, institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful and vindictive actions of our pubic hair doodling Commander in Chief. This is not the moment to give in.”
“I’m not giving in, I’m not going anywhere, I think,” he said, referencing the possibility that The Daily Show could be on the chopping block too.
He ended the segment by referencing a line that Colbert used in his own monologue Monday night.
“If you’re afraid and you protect your bottom line, I’ve got but one thing to say: ‘Go f— yourself,’” he concluded.
The Daily Show airs daily on Comedy Central at 11 p.m. local time.
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