Will CBS Pull the Plug Early on Colbert? Tensions Rise After Star’s Temper Tantrum, Saying Denial by Network Bosses Was ‘Crap’

Questions are swirling about whether CBS will end “The Late Show” early after its host, Stephen Colbert, lashed out at the network and claimed it censored his interview with a Texas Democrat running for U.S. Senate, James Talarico. CBS publicly said Mr. Colbert’s accusation was false, and Mr. Colbert replied on his show the next evening that CBS’s denial was “crap.” In July, CBS announced that it would cancel “The Late Show,” but not until May 2026. However, there has been speculation that that timeline was tenuous and based on Mr. Colbert not lashing out at the network or embarrassing it, which he has largely avoided since the summer.After Mr. Colbert claimed the network censored his interview with Mr. Talarico, preventing him from promoting it, and took jabs at CBS — including a not-so-subtle shot at the network’s explanation that the cancellation of “The Late Show” was “purely” financial — speculation has mounted that his time at the network may be cut short.One conservative commentator, Stephen Miller (not the White House advisor), wrote on X, “Colbert is trying to get fired before going off the air in May. It’s not hard. Colbert has Kimmel martyr envy. He saw the attention Jimmy Kimmel got after his show was off the air for two days so he’s trying to get himself fired.”“CBS should pull the plug on Colbert now,” one user said. Another user wrote, “CBS needs to pull the plug on Colbert early. Or are they gonna be putting up with this kind of junk for the next two or three months?”Meanwhile, some fans of “The Late Show” took to social media to express concerns that the show will be canceled early due to the tensions between the network and Mr. Colbert.“I truly believe we won’t get the Late Show for much longer. Colbert has made it clear he is not afraid of CBS, and he’s not going to back down even as his show winds down. Meanwhile, CBS is feeling the heat politically and financially, and I don’t think they are going to back down either. In fact, CBS leadership may double down,” one Reddit user said. “How long before CBS goes ‘screw it — Colbert is doing more damage than it’s worth.’”A former executive editor of OK! Magazine, Rob Shuter, wrote in his newsletter that CBS executives are “not amused” with Mr. Colbert’s behavior since the Talarico interview.“He humiliated them. Again,” one network insider told Mr. Shuter. Another insider said, “They feel like they can’t control him anymore. As the end date gets closer, he has nothing to lose — and that makes executives nervous.”Amid those concerns, network executives have considered ending “The Late Show” earlier than expected, Mr. Shuter wrote.The tensions between Mr. Colbert and CBS come after months of the anti-Trump comedian largely refraining from making snide comments about the network. Since July, he has largely expressed gratitude and spoken kindly of CBS.However, he has not been afraid to lash out at President Trump or CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global. But this week, he seemed to take the gloves off and aim his invective at CBS. When CBS denied that it told Mr. Colbert he could only post his interview with Mr. Talarico on YouTube, he called that statement “cr-p” and indignantly told the network’s lawyers that he did not need them to tell him he could have invited on Mr. Talarico’s primary opponent, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. CBS did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Will CBS Pull the Plug Early on Colbert? Tensions Rise After Star’s Temper Tantrum, Saying Denial by Network Bosses Was ‘Crap’

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