In Washington, Democratic politicians are calling for a congressional investigation, while in New York; the Writers’ Guild is asking New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) for a state probe. No, the issue is not the use of the autopen by Biden staff to carry out presidential functions or the crisis in public education. No, it is the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” by CBS.
The outrage over the show’s cancellation is the latest example of presumed entitlement from the left, which suggests that the government, universities, and corporations should subsidize their preferred news and entertainment. Call it the NPR syndrome.
I wrote this weekend about the withdrawal of the government subsidy for NPR and the outrage of its overwhelmingly white, affluent, and liberal audience. Democrats in Congress and NPR’s shrinking listeners were appalled that the American taxpayers would not be required to fund the overwhelmingly liberal outlet. It appears that they are entitled to such federal money even though NPR is dropping in both its audience and revenues.
The outrage of Democratic politicians is hardly surprising. Like NPR, The Late Night Show was used to amplify Democratic talking points. Some of those objecting the loudest were favored guests. Indeed, the show had long ago traded the comedic stylings of prior guests like George Carlin and Don Rickles for the knee-slapping standups of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D., Cal.).
As Joe Concha recently noted, Warren, 76, appeared 16 times during the show’s ten-year run.
He offered a funereal opening after Trump’s election:
Colbert turned his monologues into diatribes against Donald Trump, Republicans, and most everyone to the right of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., NY), another regular guest. Socialist Bernie Sander (I., VT) was one of Colbert’s most frequent guests followed by figures such as CBS anchor Gayle King (14 appearances), CNN anchor Jake Tapper (12 appearances), and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow (8 appearances). Note figures like Tapper had their own collapsing ratings but were still regulars for Colbert.
It did not matter that over half of this country is conservative or libertarian or that over 77 million Americans voted for Trump.
This cringeworthy video is effectively what the audience saw every night as Colbert sought to repackage comedy with orthodoxy:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote on X that “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” She is right but an investigation is the last thing that liberals should want.
While many are pushing the false claim that the Late Show was a roaring success and number one among late night talk shows, the fact is that Colbert had run the show into the ground.
As Charles Gasparino discussed recently, the show was imposing “punishing losses — pegged between $40 million and $50 million a year” on Paramount at a time when the parent company was trying to sell CBS.
Colbert publicly slammed his employer on the show in settling a case with Trump for $16 million.
However, Colbert seemed more obsessed with pushing his political message than ratings.
Media companies are not in the habit of cancelling profit-making, successful shows, particularly not CBS which has just two prime time shows in the Top 15.
The fact is that Colbert was over paid and underperforming.
Colbert was reportedly pulling in between $15-$20 million as his show was losing $40 million a year. The show had over 100 staffers and cost $130 million to produce.
Advertisers had fled the show, clearly seeing Colbert’s shrinking audience as not a draw for spots. It is a pattern seen on the other largely left-leaning shows.
As Concha noted: “late-night shows on ABC, NBC, and CBS earned $439 million in ad revenue in 2018 combined, but just $220 million in 2024. That’s a 50% decline in less than seven years.”
In comparison, Greg Gutfeld had long trounced Colbert and the other late night shows with a relatively small staff and budget. Viewers were flocking to Fox for his content as the other late night show with a conservative perspective.
Yet, there remains the outrage. Liberal politicians and viewers seem to believe that they are entitled to shows, movies and news programs that maintain their echo chamber. Likewise, celebrities such as Rachel Zegler cratered their movies with controversial political declarations.
Now, despite losing tens of millions of dollars a year, liberals seem to believe that Paramount should subsidize an unfunny show with declining viewership. It is the same mentality of Washington Post writers who were outraged when their new editor told that that they were losing money and “people are not reading your stuff.” They expected billionaire Jeff Bezos to run the Post like a vanity project regardless of their losses or that they were primarily writing for each other. They were wrong just as Colbert was wrong.
Colbert believed that he could tailor his show to less than half of the country and bring in a slew of liberal politicians and media figures who were themselves losing elections and ratings. I cannot imagine why that business plan would fail.
They want an investigation, that’s rich. According to Gabbard there’s an investigation that’s needed and it should start at the top of the Marxist party. No one is above the law, right Barry?
Margot,
I would suggest their cries for an investigation is an attempt to deflect from the attempted Obama coup.
The left is losing their mind thinking that Trump forced them to cancel Colbert because he was so anti-Trump. If that was the issue, they would have simply fired Colbert and replaced him with somebody else. The fact that they canceled the show entirely completely supports the fact that it was a financial decision and nothing else
Any comic they put there will be anti-Trump. Late nigh right wing comics just don’t work.
And yet Gutfield persists, at a fraction of the budget. Odd that you didn’t mention his show.
Because you normally have to paid for a subscription to a cable or satellite provider in order to watch him. And I might add whose show is higher rated than those who you can watch for free as long as you have an antenna.
Side note, I said “normally have to paid for a subscription” because you can always watch his show on YouTube. 🙃
I just looked up some of his clips. Not funny at all. Just angry and mean.
Fact-based humor can seem offensive when your own hypocrisy is called-out on the carpet. The left goes into hysterics when their manufactured propaganda is poked full of holes …….
Yes, I agree that Colbert isn’t funny, and is just angry and mean.
I find there is a fine line between mental illness and political leanings. The Dems are sure to put a heavy burden on the healthcare industry.
As do the republicans.
Not really, survey after survey has demonstrated that the further to the left one is, the more likely a person is to have mental illness. I’ll leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine the cause and effect order.
This is the Truth!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rjgJgTh8fJoVn_fttaOtGioyvHJWW-9OeZ9T6RBTiBdtKKkLd6buOH9UCkkNFO0uPMjTW1dv0zmSedKy_NLwu_QqzOmCgGYKuHW7DDlfkLp5MjTsqOhmfpxj7JJhHwn_YUFTQ4NyEZCJBGcQECn7iGdDgStBZDaLWPYFERfktE-mRh-3UyPhm1McxpPV/w616-h640/1%2090miles3ece61e0f9b040bf334450f8f0e83262_c2f152c4_400.jpg
Coldbeers and back slapping with the likes of Warren, Schumer and Bernie Bro Sanders. They somehow believe that they had the pulse of America at their fingertips. It reminds me of the windup kids toy with three monkeys banging the cymbals. Now Newsom is trying to change his tune to a more moderate melody while there aren’t enough police on the streets in LA. Sorry Donald. I’m a long way from being tired of winning.
“. . . his show was losing $40 million a year.”
Bud Light lost some $1.4 *billion*. Disney movies tank. Target got creamed.
The Left’s message to corporations:
Sacrifice until it hurts. Then sacrifice some more, until you’re bankrupt. As you’re standing in a bread line, remind yourself: Your cause was “noble.”
Sam
Just went you thought the dems couldn’t get any dumber, they do this (congressional investigation)
Are kidding me…. really. As you posted the show is losing money.
$40 million a year plus $20 million a year for Colbert has been really a cheap price to pay for spreading the Democrats talking points. The Democrats over at USAID spill more than that at a Friday night party at Pelosi’s mansion. A bad dog like Colbert never learns that it’s not a good plan to bite the hand that feeds you. Weep not. Colbert will be lying on a beach somewhere drinking a Pina Colada, patiently waiting for his induction into the con mans hall of fame. The circus stayed in town too long and brought in too many clowns.
Hear Hear!! Perfectly seen and said!!
I am grateful that Dr Turley is willing to educate us! He’s a national treasure
Educate? You mean you learned nothing in high school. If you ever got that far.
Given the state of our schools, you’re likely to be more literate if you drop out before middle school. Thank a teacher.
Does NBC have enough guts to pull the plug on Kimmel, who is not half as funny as Colbert
I wanted to like your comment, I really do. But I can’t force myself to do so. Because neither one is funny, they’re both on the same level. A flat wooden board is funnier than the two of them combine. Kind of like the Wonder Twins but being the complete opposite… the Unwonder Twins as it were. 🙃
https://tenor.com/view/wonder-twins-powers-activate-shape-of-superheroes-gif-18289483
“Kimmel, who is not half as funny as Colbert”
0/2=0
The investigation of Mr. Colbert’s firing could be concluded in about 5-10 minutes by looking at the spreadsheet of his show’s costs and income. A few more minutes of perusing the line items in CBS overall business operations would be marked in red ink. The last fun filled facts are the declining incomes from standard broadcast entertainment and journalism (??). After all that exhausting research, the first question is why did it take so long to fire him?
He was not even funny on the Daily Show. Sen Kennedy from Louisiana is an incredibly funny individual and only costs $174,000.00 per year. Maybe CBS should hire him for 30 min each day and boost their income.
Maybe this has become the Bud Light moment for CBS but it took them 10 years to figure it out. Budweiser took far less time.
Stephen Colbert being fired will keep me warm through this coming winter.
Coming winter you say, should try filling your oil tank; while Colbert burns bundles of 100 dollar bills to keep himself warm in winter. And ole Steve laughs at you while counting his millions. For a conservative you sure have a nasty disposition. Guess conservatives can’t take a joke huh?
“It’s others with the nasty disposition, not I!”
Anonymous 9:42AM-Winter is no problem for me. I’m all electric with a closed loop geothermal heat pump, Wood burning stove in the basement, Fireplace with heat dispersal fan that can heat the whole house by itself. Drive a Toyota hybrid. Surrounding forest for firewood. Most conservatives have a nasty disposition towards malcontent progressives with their supercilious disdain for any other point of view. In fact you sound just like Colbert. I don’t need to burn 100 dollar bills. I have more useful things to do with them. Too bad we could not have you fired from this comment section. Maybe you could go over and sit with Colbert and burn the bills together. Have fun, watch out for sparks from the fireplace.
Seems anon put you up against the wall. Your response is perfect Karen.
GEB,
Only a fool would sit around burning money. Just like CBS finally came around to the fact, Colbert was costing them money. And by no means a small amount.
Farter to the rescue!
Colbert is smarte, has more influence, more money, more sex, more friends and family you clowns can ever imagine.
Two old losers squawking on this blog. Pathetic old clowns.
Anon – You have quite the vivid imagination. You’re out of your league, but thanks for playing.
“overwhelmingly liberal outlet”. No.
Liberal has a definition. Progressives are absolutely not liberal.
They are not progressive either. I don’t like any of their self proclaimed labels. I prefer stupid morons.
“. . . a congressional investigation . . .”
That investigation should take about 4 minutes.
Watch a 2 minute clip of Carson or Letterman. Conclusion: An entertainer. Often funny.
2 minutes of Colbert: A hectoring propagandist. Never funny.
Sam,
Well said!
How much financial loss would justify ending the show, Democrats? 300 million? 500 million? Oh, what, you say? It isn’t about the money?
Dem-o-rats never cared about the cost. As we have seen the big green deal/steal.
No one cared when Rosanne was fired from her show for being to right wing. It certainly isn’t the business of government to get involved with this.
I think most intelligent liberals know Colbert had become boring, but his cancellation gave them an opportunity to use their TDS to advantage. The dumber liberals jumped right on that train. Call this a corollary of the Rahm Emanuel principle (“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”) With no issues of their own to tout, all events must be understood through Trumpian hatred.
They’re leftists. There is nothing liberal about any, they’re all closet totalitarians. Few are intelligent, though they’ve learned to mimic the intelligent well.
And conservatives have no sense of humor. Schadenfreude any one?
Was your lobotomy painful?
Your mimicry is astounding.
That would mean Colbert is a conservative!!
The problem with the Colbert is endemic to American media: a whole bunch of lefty channels competing for the same declining audience. That forces them to push further left, trying to outdo each other in showing fealty to “the narrative.”
Still, if you sum all of their audience shares, that’s still a lot of idiots. At least it’s declining and Fox has recently started to outrate all of them put together in key demographics. Soldier on.
It’s better to follow audience shares rather than polls. Lying pays well for pollsters because the real client is the Democrat Party, but at the end of the day, media companies still have to have an audience.
When you are ‘on-the-dole’, your concern for what that status is costing others is non-existent.
When you are a politician putting people ‘on-the-dole’, your only concern is diversion from your actions.
When you are a front man (read diversions) for politicians putting people on-the-dole, your only concern is your paycheck. And you cover your loss of paycheck with inauthentic dismay (cuz you really knew the party was over) as the politicians now have to find new diversions.
Isn’t the free market great! I can honestly say that I have never watched Colbert’s show and wouldn’t know the man if I met him at a bus stop. You can be liberal and woke but if the people aren’t buying your stuff, you’re toast.
Maybe the DNC could pay to air the Late Show as an infomercial in the 2 AM time slot?
Or NPR could pick it up as a pay-for-view….
Jamie Lee Curtis, who is in whole hog on the Trump conspiracy theory has opined recently that this is somehow ‘censorship’ (😂), and that they will just ‘get louder’ (ah. The temper tantrum defense). Get as loud as you like. If no one is watching, it really doesn’t make a difference, now, does it?
The hubris of the modern left is truly breathtaking, bettered only by the astonishing rejection of logic or ethics on the part of people old and experienced enough to know better.
Their embracing of blind prejudice on the other hand is just sad. And that yes, the parent companies DO care about losing money flies directly in the face of the rhetoric (and guests like Sanders or AOC), as well. Meanwhile, the likes of Colbert and his guests are rich enough to never do anything ever again if they so choose. It’s too absurd to even contemplate at this point.
The boomers are NOT aging well.
This particular boomer is aging quite nicely, thank you. Of course, this particular boomer is also a libertarian conservative.
Their counterparts are definitely not doing well, as seen above.
excuse me?
There are just too damn many of us. Repubs and Dems will need to cooperate ( hahahaha) in fixing Social Security before it collapses. Expect that to happen when hell freezes over.
Sorry, pontificating on another subject. It’s too early on a Sunday morning for clear thinking. 😉
Colbert’s public whinathon about his impending cancellation (in MAY 2026!) reminds me of that Don Rickles meme: “I see you’ve set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.”