CBS Hurls One Final Insult at Stephen Colbert
The Daily Beast • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Stephen Colbert's farewell episode on The Late Show was widely covered by national media but intentionally blacked out by CBS, reportedly due to tensions following Colbert's public mockery of CBS reporter Jim Dokoupil's visa mishap in China.
- Colbert criticized CBS News for the incident during a monologue, which led CBS News President Tom Cibrowski to allegedly order the blackout of Colbert's farewell coverage on the network.
- Despite the network's snub, Colbert's final episode drew an estimated 6.74 million viewers, marking his highest-rated weeknight episode, featuring celebrity guests and a performance by Paul McCartney.
- CBS cited financial reasons for canceling The Late Show after 11 seasons, a decision announced shortly after Colbert condemned CBS's $16 million settlement with former President Trump as a "big, fat bribe."
- Former President Trump responded with harsh criticism of Colbert on Truth Social, calling him talentless and celebrating his departure, while also predicting a decline in late-night television quality.