The Late Show with Stephen Colbert may have turned off the lights, but the conversation surrounding its end isn't shutting down anytime soon. Now, a veteran late-night reporter has weighed in on the motivating factors behind CBS's shocking decision to cancel Stephen Colbert.
Veteran journalist and media reporter Bill Carter claimed that President Donald Trump was “personally involved” in the circumstances that ultimately led to Stephen Colbert losing his CBS show. Carter shared his perspective during a weekend appearance on MS Now's The Weekend.
Carter made the comments while discussing the fallout from the Late Show finale and the growing belief among fans and some industry experts that politics, not just finances, played a major role in the network’s decision. “The government was pushing to get rid of this man because he was a critic,” Carter said.
The journalist used that reaction as a jumping off point to discuss government censorship. He claimed that most Americans would agree, whether they like Colbert or not, that the government should not silence opposing voices. Carter also believes that we'll be dealing with the repercussions of the Late Show situation "on an ongoing basis."
Those are explosive comments coming from Carter specifically because few reporters know the late-night television industry better. Over decades covering media for The New York Times, Carter became one of the leading experts on modern late-night TV. He extensively covered the Jay Leno-David Letterman wars, the NBC late-night shakeups involving Conan O'Brien, and the evolution of political comedy on network television. His books, including The Late Shift and The War for Late Night, are essential reading about the business and power struggles behind the scenes.
That background gives Carter’s opinion added credibility among fans already skeptical of CBS’s explanation for canceling The Late Show. Officially, CBS and Paramount have maintained that the decision was financial. Colbert himself has publicly accepted that explanation, repeatedly acknowledging that it is the network’s show and ultimately their decision to make.
Others around him have been far more outspoken. Jimmy Kimmel repeatedly criticized CBS in the days leading up to Colbert’s finale, openly suggesting the network should feel ashamed for pushing the host out and calling for a boycott. Fans have similarly argued that Paramount’s broader relationship with the Trump administration, including controversy surrounding Trump’s lawsuit against 60 Minutes, created pressure for the company to distance itself from one of television’s loudest Trump critics.
So what's next for CBS? According to Carter, the network lost any credibility as an independent outlet by caving to President Trump. The journalist also believes that by completely abandoning traditional late-night TV in the 11:35 p.m. timeslot, CBS thinks it's easier to walk away than try to find a host who wouldn't mock the president.
To Carter and many fans, that decision makes the “financial reasons” explanation harder to fully accept on its own. There is still no public evidence proving President Trump directly ordered Colbert’s exit. But Carter’s comments add significant legitimacy to the growing perception that corporate and political pressures ultimately cost television one of its most important franchises.
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