July 18, 2025 • 29 mins
Amy and T.J. discuss the earthquake in the world of entertainment: CBS is canceling top rated “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” While it’s still the number one late night show, CBS announced the financials just don’t make sense anymore, but plenty of folks aren’t buying that, claiming Colbert has been fired for political reasons.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, folks, it is Friday, July eighteenth. Colbert is out.
The Late Show has been canceled. This is a shocker
in the world of entertainment, But if you've been paying
attention to late night the past few years, this is
not a shocker at all. Folks of that welcome to
this edition of Amy and TJ. Rooves. I guess first
(00:24):
things first, it is I don't care what you say.
You wake up to the news that the Late Show,
not to just he's out, but the show is going away.
That's just a shock.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
It's a shock because this is also the number one,
the highest rated late night show of them all. Now,
Jimmy Kimmel might be slightly up in the demo, but
in terms of overall viewers, Stephen Colbert, The Late Show
with Stephen Colbert is the number one and has been
the number one late night show for quite some time.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah. He, I guess he found his footing. Well, was
at twenty sixteen when Trump was running for Elex and
all the other late night comics didn't want to touch Trump.
And you go back to then when we were still
getting adjusted to Trump. We're kind of comfortable now we
know him, But then he was a shock to the
system and people didn't want to go after him on
late night. Colbert made the decision. He was after him relentlessly,
(01:17):
night after night, and you know what, he became number
one and never gave it up. It's true he never
gave it up. But here we are. He's still on top,
has been doing his thing. So everybody wakes up like,
what happened? Where is this coming from? And this has
a lot to do with financials that we will get into.
But Colbert was the one rhobes last night to I
guess break the news to his audience. Can you imagine
(01:39):
sitting in there, thinking you're about to watch some fun
show and he starts off with this, Yeah, explains that
to him.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And the audience booed, and he said, I feel exactly
the same way. But it was Yeah, it was totally
shocking to hear him say I'm not leaving, I'm not
being replaced. The show is done. It's over in May,
and he talked about the two hundred people who work
on the show, who loved the show, who put their
(02:06):
heart and soul into the show. Everyone is losing their
jobs May.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Because that's when his contract was up. He did sign
a new deal, three year deal that now is supposed
to come up in May of twenty twenty six, and
that is going to be it for the show. He
started out with the audience last night saying, and I
quote this was his statement. Next year will be our
last season. The network will be ending the late show
in May, not just the end of our show, but
the end of the late show on CBS. I'm not
(02:33):
being replaced, this is just going away. He went on
to say, it's a fantastic job. I wish somebody else
was getting it, and it's a job I'm looking forward
to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another
ten months. Through in a little joke there a jab
at his team, But when he said that, that's something
I related to, like, Yes, this is your baby and
(02:55):
you're in charge of it right now, and you know
you're going to have to let it go. You want
to leave it in good hands. That's something we didn't
get a chance to do. I mean, really a much
different scale. But when he said that, like wow, he
actually wish he was being replaced.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
It resonated with us because of the headlines of everything
involved with GMA three too. Yes, you know you when
you put your heart and soul into something like Colbert has,
you wanted to continue, you wanted to thrive. When you leave,
you don't want it to with her, and you certainly
don't want it to die. And that's exactly what he's
facing right now. And the network was very quick. CBS
(03:31):
was very quick to point out that the decision to
cancel Colbert's show was purely a financial decision. They said
it was a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in
late night, and they made clear they pointed out it
had nothing to do with the show's performance or content
or other matters happening at Paramount. Why you think they
(03:52):
added that rogues because it it look this is it.
You pointed out earlier when we first started the podcast
that Stephen Colbert has been an outs spoken critic of
President Trump since twenty sixteen. It was just on Monday
night that Colbert pointed out this settlement that happened between
President Trump and Paramount, the owner of CBS. They settled
(04:16):
for a sixteen million dollar settlement in a lawsuit where
President Trump was suing CBS over a sixteen minutes interview
they did with Kamala Harris so Colbert called that settlement
a big fat bribe, and he even made fun of
reports out there that somehow Paramount was going to try
to please Trump by putting pressure on Colbert. So that
(04:38):
was just a few nights ago, and then I believe
it was two nights later, Colbert gets the call that
tells him not only is he out, the show is
done and over.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
It's tough to imagine that that, given all he has
said over the years, that that set people off. But
there's a very very sensitive time, and that timing is
just a little too close. It's if they had been
thinking about this for the past few weeks, I still
would have waited to get some separation between him making
that statement. So why that almost lends itself to the
(05:10):
idea that this was in some way a reaction to
what he said, but they claim it's not. But you
can tell just how fiery things have been robes the
fact that this was a really long statement, frankly that
CBS put out, but they made sure to include that bit.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
They knew the criticism was coming, they knew the speculation
was coming. They knew that people were going to connect
dots and say Stephen Colbert and The Late Show with
Stephen Colbert is being canceled because of the bed that
Paramount is in with President Trump. Because yes, they had
the sixteen million dollars settlement over this lawsuit, but there
(05:47):
was a reason why a lot of folks pointed to
them making that settlement, because they are in the middle
of a multi billion dollar merger with a movie studio
Skydance that requires approval from the Trump administration for it
to go forward. So a lot of folks believe that
this settlement, this lawsuit was settled because Paramount wants to
be in good standing with President Trump so this multi
(06:10):
billion dollar merger can move forward.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
And of course, if that merger does eventually happen, everybody's
going to come back and say, aha, it worked. Aha,
see ah, Look they bought their way out. Look they
fired their way out. They did everything they needed to
do to get this billion plus dout. We're talking about
a huge, huge sale of this company, and that's been
talked about for long and that's the reason for the
sixteen million dollars element. This is the reason for that's
(06:34):
what they are saying out there. So I just found
it interesting that this long statement in the second frame
of it. Essentially, they included that line before. They didn't
even wait for y'all to accuse us. That's one I
always find it if honey, don't know what your mama
always say, who's speaking first is probably the guilty one, right,
the one that runs up. Uh, it wasn't me. I'm
having nothing to do with it, Like, I ain't even
(06:56):
ask you. That's what it felt like.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yep, it certainly so.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That reaction obviously came quickly from all over the place.
It came from some members of Congress, It's come from everybody,
of course, on the Internet. It comes from a lot
of media reporters and observers. And the reaction I guess
so many of us robes were waiting for, was from
President Trump, and we did get it just a short
(07:23):
time ago, shortly before this recording, as we're sitting here,
he did put out a statement.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yes, President Trump went onto his favorite social media site
truth Social and said this, I absolutely love that Colbert
got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
You know, that doesn't surprise us could expect something like
that from the president. What surprised me maybe a little,
and maybe he was smart enough not to say it.
Knew not to say it. I thought he would take
credit for it.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
He hasn't taken credit for it. But then he went
on further to let other people know that they too
might be next in line. Trump went on to say,
I hear Jimmy Kemmel is next. Has even less talent
than Colbert. Trump also said Greg Guttfield is better than
all of them combined, including the moron on NBC who
ruined the once Great Tonight Show, referring to Jimmy Fallon
(08:19):
but didn't name him specifically.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
YEA, if you don't know who Greg Guttfield is, he's
the guy. He is the king of Late Night, to
be honest with you, right now on television, but he's
on Fox News. He has been doing Gangbusters over there.
We'll get into more of him here shortly. But that
was President Trump. Schiff, actually Senator Schiff was Now, wow,
that's you're talking about two Trump critics sitting down together.
(08:41):
He was a guest on Colbert's show last night, and
he had something to say almost immediately after the taping
as well. And this, I guess is one of the
more high profile people robes that is suggesting that something is.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Up yeah, Adam Swift tweeted, this just finished taping with
Stephen Colbert, who announced his show with canceled. If Paramount
and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the
public deserves to know and deserves better.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yeah, and that type of speculation will continue because we
don't understand how a show. There are a few I mean,
we could start naming them right now that are institutions
in television. And you would go with the morning shows,
well Today and jim A. You would go with certainly
the Tonight Show, the Late Show, fallen, excuse me, Kimmel.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Oh yeah. There are some institutions. If somebody told you
sixty minutes was going to go away, if somebody told
you one of these staples is going to go yeah, wait,
what's happening? And the show this one, I didn't realize
robes there have actually only been two hosts.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yeah, it's David Letterman and Stephen Colbert.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Period.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I didn't realize that either.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I thought there were a few more sprinkled in that
the Tonight Show had several more, even though we know
that two main ones but had some. These are only
two guys who have ever been in charge of that show.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
And it was actually surprising to me because it seems
like so much time and so many things have happened
over this past decade. But the fact that Letterman didn't
step away until twenty fifteen, and that is when we
had the new host take up for Stephen Colbert, and
so he's been doing it for ten years. But it's
amazing to go back and look that Letterman had this
(10:26):
show for twenty plus years.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, and you go back and they this was a
big deal, a big coup for CBS in the first place,
because Letterman had a successful show going over at NBC
has on Late night show. They plucked him. This was
a big deal, and he builds a powerhouse at CBS
and turns that show into what it is today. Oh,
what it is today, what it's going to be for
(10:48):
the next Way's a nine.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Months ten months, yes, ten months.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
But it's they tried and tried and reason this is
such an institution. They were trying to keep up with
the Tonight's show at the time. When you remember the
Pat Say Jack show, Oh no.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Okay, I was like, wait, Pat Say Jack, yes, but
the show, no, we had a late night show, no
will of fortune.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
They tried to get a show going with him, he
couldn't compete with the Tonight Show. That show was canceled
before him merv Griffin, Wow, I had a show on
That one did okay, but there was some kind of
contractual disputars whatever. That one went wet. So they had
been trying for a long time at late night. They
nailed it, finally created this juggernaut, got two great comedians
(11:31):
to do it, and it's over.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
You know what's crazy too. Three days ago, the ratings
came out for the second quarter of twenty twenty five.
It was a news article published again a few days ago,
and they literally said the headline, Stephen Colbert is holding
on to the top spot in his hour, Greg Guttfield
dominating his slot. But still they were praising Colbert's ratings, saying,
(11:54):
he's averaging two point four million, and that is fairly
significant given what the other shows are doing. He's well
aware of Jimmy Kimmel's at one point seven. This was
the last quarter, and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
is one point one eight. So you look at those
numbers and Colbert was if you can say dominating, but yes,
(12:14):
he was doing extremely well.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Dominating, but dismal. That's the problem. Your dominating ratings are
dismal compared to years past. You will find plenty of
write up to tell you advertising dollars in late night
have gone down some fifty percent in the past five
to seven years, folks, fifty percent in ad dollars. That
is just not going to be sustainable when you have
(12:39):
these big budgets. Another thing people don't realize. Like I said,
folks who have been paying attention, this is not a shocker.
There have been not even breadcrumbs. I mean, there have
been like flares going off showing the way that Late
Night is going. We're gonna get into that, and you're
(12:59):
gonna say to yourself after you hear some of this, wow,
I see why they did it. All right, folks, We
continue now with this really shocking news, not just that
Stephen Colbert is going to be out at the Late
(13:20):
Show on CBS, but the show itself. I guess a
late night institution at this point that David Letterman started
is going to be going away. They are going to
cancel the show altogether. It won't be coming back after
May when Colbert's contract is up. But Robes we've been
talking about, you were given the ratings. He is on
top of ratings, but the ratings are so far down
(13:41):
from where they used to be. So the idea now
of Fallin, where we see Fallon everywhere. He's starring in this,
he's at the Christmas Prey, he's doing all these things.
One million viewers is not going to be okay.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Now.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
One million viewers is almost a staggering thought in late
night television, giving the three million plus that were used
to be gotten just a few years ago. Yes, and
certainly in the heyday of the Linos and the lettermans
of the world. To think now the numbers we're talking
about and the demo numbers. He's number one and overall,
(14:16):
but he's number two in the demo, right, and that
demo is eighteen to forty nine year olds, And we're
talking about two hundred and twenty thousand in the demo. Kimmel,
that's Kimmel's number. Fallon has one hundred and fifty seven
thousand in the demo. You're making a face right there
like this. Yes, because we have worked in television, we
know what those numbers mean. And that's RUSS for guys
(14:37):
making fifteen million dollars a year.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
It's unjustifiable, is what it is. But it's interesting to me.
Why wouldn't they have asked and maybe Colbert would not
have considered this, But we're seeing this in network news
in other shows where hosts that are making huge amounts
of money when the show's dwindling audience doesn't support those salaries,
they've asked hosts to take a cut, maybe even cut
(14:58):
their salary by thirty percent, by fifty It doesn't even
appear that that was offered. There was no negotiation. According
to the way Cole Bear said it, it was a
shock to him. He got a phone call and it
was done over see you later. You got ten months
by And that is what's shocking about it. They weren't
even trying to maybe downsize or find a way to
(15:18):
cut costs to keep it alive. They just said, you're
done the cost cutting.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And again I didn't really we're not late night watchers,
but I did not realize this show only tapes four
nights a week, right, because they're cutting costs. Do you
know that Fallon show only tapes four nights a week? Yes,
for production costs the other as well. All three late
night shows on the networks have done that. They've made
(15:46):
that move because they're trying to cut costs. What does
that tell you, now, CBS. That's not to say the
writing might have been on the wall. You remember the
Late Late Show, Late Late Show with James Cordon.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
That's our that's our the time our alarm clocks off
pretty much.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
But by the time that show was we've been wrapping up.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
We're waking up. So no, the point is, I've not
seen it, but I do remember it. I know of it.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
See, I didn't even remember that the show got canceled,
The Late Late Show with James Cordon. Yes, was it
Karaoke the Car Karaoke Guy that everybody loves. That show
got canceled two years ago. It went away. Why because
it brought in forty five million dollars in revenue and
(16:28):
it costs sixty million dollars to put on. Dang, So
CBS made that move years ago. Again, that report was,
that report has been out there, But they made that
move because it just wasn't sustainable, and in its place
they put a like a game show with the comedian. Now,
it just happened to that it went away because the
(16:50):
comedian wants to go back on the road touring. CBS said,
we're just not gonna continue the show, We're not gonna replace,
So they have given away essentially a late night time
slot that has been there for decades. So they are
recognizing that late night is not going to be sustainable
(17:10):
for years to come. And cobear the number one is
experience in.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
That now and part of the problem. The folks who
are up late night are the younger viewers, which are
the the one type of viewer that all advertisers want.
They want them young, They want to bring them into
their brands to stay with them for the rest of
their lives. Once you get to a certain age, they
don't really wantch you. And so what are the young
people doing. They're not watching television period, They're not watching
(17:36):
traditional broadcasting, they're not watching cable. They are on YouTube,
they are on TikTok, and all of that content, as
we know, is very cheap to make and has huge
returns for the content creators, much more so than what
we're even seeing in broadcasting. So yes, the young viewers
who would tend to watch the snarky comedians make fun
of the day's news and the politicians behind much of it.
(17:59):
They're not watching television. Most of them don't even have TVs.
So this is the problem, and how do you fix it?
No one knows.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
They didn't figure out how to monetize what you're talking about.
Those clips were great. Kimmel used to go viral seemed
like every week because he did some skit of some gag.
So where the kids figure out, I don't have to
stay up late and watch your whole show. I'm gonna
see the clip in the morning, correct, and I'm gonna
watch it for a few seconds. I'm gonna laugh and
move on about my day. You can't monetize that to
(18:27):
the tune of a fifteen million dollar year salary just
yet anyway. But they tried, and they've been trying and
trying and trying. But the shows we talked about this
the other day, we just ha was it might have
been a promo I think for the CBS Morning Show.
And this is not a criticism of them, but I
look like, wow, that's the same glass table, the same
(18:49):
round table, the same three people wearing the same outfits
with the same color background. It's as if news and
networks in particular have a difficult time change adapt evolving,
and the late shows you watch tonight, it looks exactly
the way it looked when Johnny Carson did the show,
except for a few skits maybe, But it's the same thing.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, And so some of the older folks are sticking
around because doesn't it feel good. It almost feels nostalgic,
It feels safe. This is what you know, this is
what you like, this is how you laugh. But for
the folks who are younger, who they need, desperately need,
they can't focus. We know we have children. They can't
focus for more than thirty seconds on anything. So the
(19:31):
clips were great, but it wasn't driving people back to
watch the show. So, yes, they loved watching them, they
appreciated the humor, and they're wildly popular, but it doesn't
translate to folks tuning in at eleven thirty five to
watch these late night shows.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
It's weird when you do think about it's the same thing.
Meeting comes out, same suit, same tie, gives the monologue,
goes over, sits behind a desk, gives a shout out
to his band, brings out whatever celebrity to promote whatever movie,
you do the same package, little stories and little laughs,
and there is you're not expecting a moment anymore. Think
(20:08):
it the greatest late night moments. You could probably think
of what our Senil Hall I can remember one. I
can remember Jay Lintle with Was it Hugh Grant that
moment after he was arrested. Oh, there are moments that
stand out. Those moments just don't seem.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
They were long, long, long ago it happened like that anymore.
They really don't. And you know, you brought up the
early show CBS and not to point, not to single
them out, but all the morning shows, I would imagine,
and us having worked in morning television for many decades,
you have to think they're concerned because the same thing
is happening on morning television with the morning network news shows.
(20:47):
Their audience is dwindling each year. It's they're trying to
stop the bleeding. But there aren't gains that anyone's talking about.
These are all losses that.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Stopped the bleeding. As always, that used to always be
my complaint at a network, like all we're trying to
do is hold on to the viewers we have instead
of trying to try something and be a little risky
to possibly go gain new viewers. It was never anywhere
that seemed to take those types comfortable tap taking those
types of risks.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
No, and talking about TikTok trends or you know, that
doesn't make people who use TikTok tune into morning television.
And so we've seen the desperate attempts. We've been a
part of them. We have contributed to some of the
stories that we were assigned to try and get younger
folks to watch morning television and it simply does not work.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
How many reporters in the past ten years we're tasked
with being the social media person and every morning what's trending.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Yes, we had social Square and we're like touching things
like it was an iPad on the wall because you know,
we were hip and cool and young and we got
you young folks. No, we didn't. We don't. We haven't
figured it out. Television broadcasting has not figured it out.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Yeah, and like Knight has not figured it out. And
you paratly saw the headline as well. I think it
was a couple years ago in New York Times, is
this Late Night's last gasp. They've been talking about this
for years. This is going to happen? What the streamers
trying to come up with? The A couple of folks
doing late night on streaming. They're trying to see so
it might late night, might continue. It just might be
(22:17):
somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
They might look a little in a smaller screen.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
And please let it look different.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Please, Yeah, be innovative and that. But see the innovation,
the creativity and the transparency, the authenticity. That is what TikTok,
That is what YouTube gives viewers.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Podcasting gives folks. We're just listening to folks differently. Yeah,
same canned stuff.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
They want authenticity. They don't want scripts, they don't want that.
They don't want planned and canned. They want real and new.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
And they're making that clear look of all the folks.
So many folks upset about this and Jimmy Kimmel's competition,
but he's not celebrating. These guys have collaborated on plenty
of things over the years and certainly seemed to be
say they are seemed to be robes, authentic friends. But
he didn't hold his tongue and had an expletive laden response, Yes,
what happens?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Yeah, on a story I was on his Instagram story,
Kim Will put out love you, Stephen, fuck you and
all your Sheldon's CBS. That was very blunt and to
the point.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, and he can say that, I hope there's no
backlash or anything. Network's not going to go after him
for that necessarily. He can say what he wants and
that's his opinion. But man, that stings if you're sitting
in his chair, if you're sitting in Falon's chair, if
you're looking to where even if you want to get
rid of me, like I know, the show is going
to go on, but now you have to think that, Wow,
(23:36):
even the show.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
You're getting rid of Late Night is on the table. Yes,
that's scared, you know. I'm actually it is going to
be very interesting what these ratings are going to be
like for the next ten months, because you're seeing obviously
a groundswell of support for Stephen now from the actors
and from the producers and the folks who come on
his show who love his show. And we can tell
you what some of these folks are saying, because it
is interesting. But I was just thinking to myself, are
(23:59):
so many more people now going to watch Colbert now
that they've heard the headlines now that they know it's same,
absolutely same.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Haven't had a desire to watch a late night show
no matter who the guest is, anything that I hear about, Yes,
I want to watch him for the next tea. I
do too, absolutely do.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
And I think that it might be like an incredible
Swan song in a sense, because he might see the
best ratings he's ever seen in his career.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I think no doubt he will. But this reminds me
it's similar to professional athletes who announced that something is
going to be their last season. So now you get
kind of a everywhere they would go for a game,
the crowd gives them love, and that school gives them love.
That he now every celebrity is going to every name
(24:42):
is going to show up in that chair over the
next ten months to be a part of a goodbye
to him, And that's kind of cool. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Some of the folks, some of the folks who wrote
in just to give you a sense, Judd Apatow, famous
filmmaker and producer. He wrote, my admiration and appreciation for
you is bottomless excited to see what other brilliance you
put into the world. Snow White actress Rachel Zegler wrote,
I am extremely sad. I adore you Stephen, but seven
star Adam Scott. I loved what he put out there.
(25:09):
He said, love you, Steven. This is absolute bullshit, And I,
for one am looking forward to the next ten months
of shows. And I really think that is going to
be the sentiment from so many people.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Yeah, we can understand financials, we can actually understand difficult
decisions that have to be made, we can understand a
changing media landscape. But this feels like bullshit exactly. It does,
and we all do. Whether you watch the show or not.
It's still right now. I mean people have that maybe
some political issues with him, but the guy's a talented comedian.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
He was so funny.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
It was The Daily Show, and then he got the
Cobert Report. Yeah, Colbert Report.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yes, he loved him on the Daily Show. It was
amazing on the and that led him to the star
that he is now.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Yeah, and he's been a good steward of that show,
that legacy show, and it was in good hands and
it just right now feels that way.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
You know. I was on I agree. I agree. I
was on a plane with him on the way to
cover the Emmys. The Oscars. I can't remember which a
ward show it was, and he was so kind and
so funny. I watched him interact with his wife, with
the whole rest of the plane. There was some silly
thing that happened with the flight attendant, and I just thought,
what a good guy like I just I don't know
(26:24):
him personally, but I just got to actually observe him.
And you know, it's just, it's it's a it's a
gut punch to anyone who's so good at their craft,
who is now no longer allowed to do the job
they're so amazing at. That is certainly said. But speaking
to the politics, did you see what Senator Warren? Obviously
she's politically motivated, but what she said, what she said
(26:44):
is just what a lot of folks are an investigation
she is so well, no, she already she already. So
here's the deal. This is funny. Back in May, she
opened an investigation into whether Paramount was engaging in bribery
with Trump over this s guy dance merger. So he's
already got an investigation underway about that whole situation. But
she put this out on X She said, CBS canceled
(27:06):
Colbert's show, just three days after Colbert called out CBS
parent company Paramount for its sixteen million dollars settlement with Trump,
a deal that looks like bribery, And then she said
America deserves to know if his show was canceled for
political reasons. Here's the deal. We're never gonna know that
unless Trump announces it and says, yep, that's what happened.
(27:27):
But short of that, are we ever going to actually
know if that had a factor or if it was
the factor for CBS canceling Colbert's show.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
The way they handle it, this one maybe is on them. Sometimes.
I know the public can get going and social media
can get going and say we're never gonna believe what
we're hearing kind of a I don't think it's the
public's fault. I mean, you gave us every reason to
be suspicious. This was days ago, exactly. Got a call
two days after that joke.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Look if Jimmy Fallon's show, if the whole show is
being canceled because of poor ratings, and NBC announced that
no one would probably say a word, this is very different.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, they needed to give us more, maybe something. This
could have been a set. Why would do you have
to do it now. By the way, why couldn't we
have waited till later in the year.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Why we could have announced a final season in September
something like that.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Why now the timing's weird. If now, if we hear
about this damn sale going through anywhere in the next
two months, okay, people are going to lose it.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
They are, and honestly, rightfully so I get it, and
I think a lot of folks listening get it. We
understand sometimes that's not just CoInc sometimes it is. But
a lot of times, what do they say, where there's smoke,
there's fire.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Well, Stephen Gobert, just we thank you and we love
you for the years of entertainment, for being kind on
a plane that robot was on, but we and look,
if you need some help navigating when you have to
leave a job and he didn't want to please, you
know where to find us.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Thanks for listening, everybody. Hope you have a great Friday.
Hey, folks, it is Friday, July eighteenth. Colbert is out.
The Late Show has been canceled. This is a shocker
in the world of entertainment, But if you've been paying
attention to late night the past few years, this is
not a shocker at all. Folks of that welcome to
this edition of Amy and TJ. Rooves. I guess first
(00:24):
things first, it is I don't care what you say.
You wake up to the news that the Late Show,
not to just he's out, but the show is going away.
That's just a shock.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
It's a shock because this is also the number one,
the highest rated late night show of them all. Now,
Jimmy Kimmel might be slightly up in the demo, but
in terms of overall viewers, Stephen Colbert, The Late Show
with Stephen Colbert is the number one and has been
the number one late night show for quite some time.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah. He, I guess he found his footing. Well, was
at twenty sixteen when Trump was running for Elex and
all the other late night comics didn't want to touch Trump.
And you go back to then when we were still
getting adjusted to Trump. We're kind of comfortable now we
know him, But then he was a shock to the
system and people didn't want to go after him on
late night. Colbert made the decision. He was after him relentlessly,
(01:17):
night after night, and you know what, he became number
one and never gave it up. It's true he never
gave it up. But here we are. He's still on top,
has been doing his thing. So everybody wakes up like,
what happened? Where is this coming from? And this has
a lot to do with financials that we will get into.
But Colbert was the one rhobes last night to I
guess break the news to his audience. Can you imagine
(01:39):
sitting in there, thinking you're about to watch some fun
show and he starts off with this, Yeah, explains that
to him.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And the audience booed, and he said, I feel exactly
the same way. But it was Yeah, it was totally
shocking to hear him say I'm not leaving, I'm not
being replaced. The show is done. It's over in May,
and he talked about the two hundred people who work
on the show, who loved the show, who put their
(02:06):
heart and soul into the show. Everyone is losing their
jobs May.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Because that's when his contract was up. He did sign
a new deal, three year deal that now is supposed
to come up in May of twenty twenty six, and
that is going to be it for the show. He
started out with the audience last night saying, and I
quote this was his statement. Next year will be our
last season. The network will be ending the late show
in May, not just the end of our show, but
the end of the late show on CBS. I'm not
(02:33):
being replaced, this is just going away. He went on
to say, it's a fantastic job. I wish somebody else
was getting it, and it's a job I'm looking forward
to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another
ten months. Through in a little joke there a jab
at his team, But when he said that, that's something
I related to, like, Yes, this is your baby and
(02:55):
you're in charge of it right now, and you know
you're going to have to let it go. You want
to leave it in good hands. That's something we didn't
get a chance to do. I mean, really a much
different scale. But when he said that, like wow, he
actually wish he was being replaced.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
It resonated with us because of the headlines of everything
involved with GMA three too. Yes, you know you when
you put your heart and soul into something like Colbert has,
you wanted to continue, you wanted to thrive. When you leave,
you don't want it to with her, and you certainly
don't want it to die. And that's exactly what he's
facing right now. And the network was very quick. CBS
(03:31):
was very quick to point out that the decision to
cancel Colbert's show was purely a financial decision. They said
it was a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in
late night, and they made clear they pointed out it
had nothing to do with the show's performance or content
or other matters happening at Paramount. Why you think they
(03:52):
added that rogues because it it look this is it.
You pointed out earlier when we first started the podcast
that Stephen Colbert has been an outs spoken critic of
President Trump since twenty sixteen. It was just on Monday
night that Colbert pointed out this settlement that happened between
President Trump and Paramount, the owner of CBS. They settled
(04:16):
for a sixteen million dollar settlement in a lawsuit where
President Trump was suing CBS over a sixteen minutes interview
they did with Kamala Harris so Colbert called that settlement
a big fat bribe, and he even made fun of
reports out there that somehow Paramount was going to try
to please Trump by putting pressure on Colbert. So that
(04:38):
was just a few nights ago, and then I believe
it was two nights later, Colbert gets the call that
tells him not only is he out, the show is
done and over.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
It's tough to imagine that that, given all he has
said over the years, that that set people off. But
there's a very very sensitive time, and that timing is
just a little too close. It's if they had been
thinking about this for the past few weeks, I still
would have waited to get some separation between him making
that statement. So why that almost lends itself to the
(05:10):
idea that this was in some way a reaction to
what he said, but they claim it's not. But you
can tell just how fiery things have been robes the
fact that this was a really long statement, frankly that
CBS put out, but they made sure to include that bit.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
They knew the criticism was coming, they knew the speculation
was coming. They knew that people were going to connect
dots and say Stephen Colbert and The Late Show with
Stephen Colbert is being canceled because of the bed that
Paramount is in with President Trump. Because yes, they had
the sixteen million dollars settlement over this lawsuit, but there
(05:47):
was a reason why a lot of folks pointed to
them making that settlement, because they are in the middle
of a multi billion dollar merger with a movie studio
Skydance that requires approval from the Trump administration for it
to go forward. So a lot of folks believe that
this settlement, this lawsuit was settled because Paramount wants to
be in good standing with President Trump so this multi
(06:10):
billion dollar merger can move forward.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
And of course, if that merger does eventually happen, everybody's
going to come back and say, aha, it worked. Aha,
see ah, Look they bought their way out. Look they
fired their way out. They did everything they needed to
do to get this billion plus dout. We're talking about
a huge, huge sale of this company, and that's been
talked about for long and that's the reason for the
sixteen million dollars element. This is the reason for that's
(06:34):
what they are saying out there. So I just found
it interesting that this long statement in the second frame
of it. Essentially, they included that line before. They didn't
even wait for y'all to accuse us. That's one I
always find it if honey, don't know what your mama
always say, who's speaking first is probably the guilty one, right,
the one that runs up. Uh, it wasn't me. I'm
having nothing to do with it, Like, I ain't even
(06:56):
ask you. That's what it felt like.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yep, it certainly so.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That reaction obviously came quickly from all over the place.
It came from some members of Congress, It's come from everybody,
of course, on the Internet. It comes from a lot
of media reporters and observers. And the reaction I guess
so many of us robes were waiting for, was from
President Trump, and we did get it just a short
(07:23):
time ago, shortly before this recording, as we're sitting here,
he did put out a statement.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yes, President Trump went onto his favorite social media site
truth Social and said this, I absolutely love that Colbert
got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
You know, that doesn't surprise us could expect something like
that from the president. What surprised me maybe a little,
and maybe he was smart enough not to say it.
Knew not to say it. I thought he would take
credit for it.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
He hasn't taken credit for it. But then he went
on further to let other people know that they too
might be next in line. Trump went on to say,
I hear Jimmy Kemmel is next. Has even less talent
than Colbert. Trump also said Greg Guttfield is better than
all of them combined, including the moron on NBC who
ruined the once Great Tonight Show, referring to Jimmy Fallon
(08:19):
but didn't name him specifically.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
YEA, if you don't know who Greg Guttfield is, he's
the guy. He is the king of Late Night, to
be honest with you, right now on television, but he's
on Fox News. He has been doing Gangbusters over there.
We'll get into more of him here shortly. But that
was President Trump. Schiff, actually Senator Schiff was Now, wow,
that's you're talking about two Trump critics sitting down together.
(08:41):
He was a guest on Colbert's show last night, and
he had something to say almost immediately after the taping
as well. And this, I guess is one of the
more high profile people robes that is suggesting that something is.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Up yeah, Adam Swift tweeted, this just finished taping with
Stephen Colbert, who announced his show with canceled. If Paramount
and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the
public deserves to know and deserves better.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yeah, and that type of speculation will continue because we
don't understand how a show. There are a few I mean,
we could start naming them right now that are institutions
in television. And you would go with the morning shows,
well Today and jim A. You would go with certainly
the Tonight Show, the Late Show, fallen, excuse me, Kimmel.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Oh yeah. There are some institutions. If somebody told you
sixty minutes was going to go away, if somebody told
you one of these staples is going to go yeah, wait,
what's happening? And the show this one, I didn't realize
robes there have actually only been two hosts.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yeah, it's David Letterman and Stephen Colbert.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Period.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I didn't realize that either.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I thought there were a few more sprinkled in that
the Tonight Show had several more, even though we know
that two main ones but had some. These are only
two guys who have ever been in charge of that show.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
And it was actually surprising to me because it seems
like so much time and so many things have happened
over this past decade. But the fact that Letterman didn't
step away until twenty fifteen, and that is when we
had the new host take up for Stephen Colbert, and
so he's been doing it for ten years. But it's
amazing to go back and look that Letterman had this
(10:26):
show for twenty plus years.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, and you go back and they this was a
big deal, a big coup for CBS in the first place,
because Letterman had a successful show going over at NBC
has on Late night show. They plucked him. This was
a big deal, and he builds a powerhouse at CBS
and turns that show into what it is today. Oh,
what it is today, what it's going to be for
(10:48):
the next Way's a nine.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Months ten months, yes, ten months.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
But it's they tried and tried and reason this is
such an institution. They were trying to keep up with
the Tonight's show at the time. When you remember the
Pat Say Jack show, Oh no.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Okay, I was like, wait, Pat Say Jack, yes, but
the show, no, we had a late night show, no
will of fortune.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
They tried to get a show going with him, he
couldn't compete with the Tonight Show. That show was canceled
before him merv Griffin, Wow, I had a show on
That one did okay, but there was some kind of
contractual disputars whatever. That one went wet. So they had
been trying for a long time at late night. They
nailed it, finally created this juggernaut, got two great comedians
(11:31):
to do it, and it's over.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
You know what's crazy too. Three days ago, the ratings
came out for the second quarter of twenty twenty five.
It was a news article published again a few days ago,
and they literally said the headline, Stephen Colbert is holding
on to the top spot in his hour, Greg Guttfield
dominating his slot. But still they were praising Colbert's ratings, saying,
(11:54):
he's averaging two point four million, and that is fairly
significant given what the other shows are doing. He's well
aware of Jimmy Kimmel's at one point seven. This was
the last quarter, and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
is one point one eight. So you look at those
numbers and Colbert was if you can say dominating, but yes,
(12:14):
he was doing extremely well.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Dominating, but dismal. That's the problem. Your dominating ratings are
dismal compared to years past. You will find plenty of
write up to tell you advertising dollars in late night
have gone down some fifty percent in the past five
to seven years, folks, fifty percent in ad dollars. That
is just not going to be sustainable when you have
(12:39):
these big budgets. Another thing people don't realize. Like I said,
folks who have been paying attention, this is not a shocker.
There have been not even breadcrumbs. I mean, there have
been like flares going off showing the way that Late
Night is going. We're gonna get into that, and you're
(12:59):
gonna say to yourself after you hear some of this, wow,
I see why they did it. All right, folks, We
continue now with this really shocking news, not just that
Stephen Colbert is going to be out at the Late
(13:20):
Show on CBS, but the show itself. I guess a
late night institution at this point that David Letterman started
is going to be going away. They are going to
cancel the show altogether. It won't be coming back after
May when Colbert's contract is up. But Robes we've been
talking about, you were given the ratings. He is on
top of ratings, but the ratings are so far down
(13:41):
from where they used to be. So the idea now
of Fallin, where we see Fallon everywhere. He's starring in this,
he's at the Christmas Prey, he's doing all these things.
One million viewers is not going to be okay.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Now.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
One million viewers is almost a staggering thought in late
night television, giving the three million plus that were used
to be gotten just a few years ago. Yes, and
certainly in the heyday of the Linos and the lettermans
of the world. To think now the numbers we're talking
about and the demo numbers. He's number one and overall,
(14:16):
but he's number two in the demo, right, and that
demo is eighteen to forty nine year olds, And we're
talking about two hundred and twenty thousand in the demo. Kimmel,
that's Kimmel's number. Fallon has one hundred and fifty seven
thousand in the demo. You're making a face right there
like this. Yes, because we have worked in television, we
know what those numbers mean. And that's RUSS for guys
(14:37):
making fifteen million dollars a year.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
It's unjustifiable, is what it is. But it's interesting to me.
Why wouldn't they have asked and maybe Colbert would not
have considered this, But we're seeing this in network news
in other shows where hosts that are making huge amounts
of money when the show's dwindling audience doesn't support those salaries,
they've asked hosts to take a cut, maybe even cut
(14:58):
their salary by thirty percent, by fifty It doesn't even
appear that that was offered. There was no negotiation. According
to the way Cole Bear said it, it was a
shock to him. He got a phone call and it
was done over see you later. You got ten months
by And that is what's shocking about it. They weren't
even trying to maybe downsize or find a way to
(15:18):
cut costs to keep it alive. They just said, you're
done the cost cutting.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And again I didn't really we're not late night watchers,
but I did not realize this show only tapes four
nights a week, right, because they're cutting costs. Do you
know that Fallon show only tapes four nights a week? Yes,
for production costs the other as well. All three late
night shows on the networks have done that. They've made
(15:46):
that move because they're trying to cut costs. What does
that tell you, now, CBS. That's not to say the
writing might have been on the wall. You remember the
Late Late Show, Late Late Show with James Cordon.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
That's our that's our the time our alarm clocks off
pretty much.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
But by the time that show was we've been wrapping up.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
We're waking up. So no, the point is, I've not
seen it, but I do remember it. I know of it.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
See, I didn't even remember that the show got canceled,
The Late Late Show with James Cordon. Yes, was it
Karaoke the Car Karaoke Guy that everybody loves. That show
got canceled two years ago. It went away. Why because
it brought in forty five million dollars in revenue and
(16:28):
it costs sixty million dollars to put on. Dang, So
CBS made that move years ago. Again, that report was,
that report has been out there, But they made that
move because it just wasn't sustainable, and in its place
they put a like a game show with the comedian. Now,
it just happened to that it went away because the
(16:50):
comedian wants to go back on the road touring. CBS said,
we're just not gonna continue the show, We're not gonna replace,
So they have given away essentially a late night time
slot that has been there for decades. So they are
recognizing that late night is not going to be sustainable
(17:10):
for years to come. And cobear the number one is
experience in.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
That now and part of the problem. The folks who
are up late night are the younger viewers, which are
the the one type of viewer that all advertisers want.
They want them young, They want to bring them into
their brands to stay with them for the rest of
their lives. Once you get to a certain age, they
don't really wantch you. And so what are the young
people doing. They're not watching television period, They're not watching
(17:36):
traditional broadcasting, they're not watching cable. They are on YouTube,
they are on TikTok, and all of that content, as
we know, is very cheap to make and has huge
returns for the content creators, much more so than what
we're even seeing in broadcasting. So yes, the young viewers
who would tend to watch the snarky comedians make fun
of the day's news and the politicians behind much of it.
(17:59):
They're not watching television. Most of them don't even have TVs.
So this is the problem, and how do you fix it?
No one knows.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
They didn't figure out how to monetize what you're talking about.
Those clips were great. Kimmel used to go viral seemed
like every week because he did some skit of some gag.
So where the kids figure out, I don't have to
stay up late and watch your whole show. I'm gonna
see the clip in the morning, correct, and I'm gonna
watch it for a few seconds. I'm gonna laugh and
move on about my day. You can't monetize that to
(18:27):
the tune of a fifteen million dollar year salary just
yet anyway. But they tried, and they've been trying and
trying and trying. But the shows we talked about this
the other day, we just ha was it might have
been a promo I think for the CBS Morning Show.
And this is not a criticism of them, but I
look like, wow, that's the same glass table, the same
(18:49):
round table, the same three people wearing the same outfits
with the same color background. It's as if news and
networks in particular have a difficult time change adapt evolving,
and the late shows you watch tonight, it looks exactly
the way it looked when Johnny Carson did the show,
except for a few skits maybe, But it's the same thing.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, And so some of the older folks are sticking
around because doesn't it feel good. It almost feels nostalgic,
It feels safe. This is what you know, this is
what you like, this is how you laugh. But for
the folks who are younger, who they need, desperately need,
they can't focus. We know we have children. They can't
focus for more than thirty seconds on anything. So the
(19:31):
clips were great, but it wasn't driving people back to
watch the show. So, yes, they loved watching them, they
appreciated the humor, and they're wildly popular, but it doesn't
translate to folks tuning in at eleven thirty five to
watch these late night shows.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
It's weird when you do think about it's the same thing.
Meeting comes out, same suit, same tie, gives the monologue,
goes over, sits behind a desk, gives a shout out
to his band, brings out whatever celebrity to promote whatever movie,
you do the same package, little stories and little laughs,
and there is you're not expecting a moment anymore. Think
(20:08):
it the greatest late night moments. You could probably think
of what our Senil Hall I can remember one. I
can remember Jay Lintle with Was it Hugh Grant that
moment after he was arrested. Oh, there are moments that
stand out. Those moments just don't seem.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
They were long, long, long ago it happened like that anymore.
They really don't. And you know, you brought up the
early show CBS and not to point, not to single
them out, but all the morning shows, I would imagine,
and us having worked in morning television for many decades,
you have to think they're concerned because the same thing
is happening on morning television with the morning network news shows.
(20:47):
Their audience is dwindling each year. It's they're trying to
stop the bleeding. But there aren't gains that anyone's talking about.
These are all losses that.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Stopped the bleeding. As always, that used to always be
my complaint at a network, like all we're trying to
do is hold on to the viewers we have instead
of trying to try something and be a little risky
to possibly go gain new viewers. It was never anywhere
that seemed to take those types comfortable tap taking those
types of risks.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
No, and talking about TikTok trends or you know, that
doesn't make people who use TikTok tune into morning television.
And so we've seen the desperate attempts. We've been a
part of them. We have contributed to some of the
stories that we were assigned to try and get younger
folks to watch morning television and it simply does not work.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
How many reporters in the past ten years we're tasked
with being the social media person and every morning what's trending.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Yes, we had social Square and we're like touching things
like it was an iPad on the wall because you know,
we were hip and cool and young and we got
you young folks. No, we didn't. We don't. We haven't
figured it out. Television broadcasting has not figured it out.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Yeah, and like Knight has not figured it out. And
you paratly saw the headline as well. I think it
was a couple years ago in New York Times, is
this Late Night's last gasp. They've been talking about this
for years. This is going to happen? What the streamers
trying to come up with? The A couple of folks
doing late night on streaming. They're trying to see so
it might late night, might continue. It just might be
(22:17):
somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
They might look a little in a smaller screen.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
And please let it look different.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Please, Yeah, be innovative and that. But see the innovation,
the creativity and the transparency, the authenticity. That is what TikTok,
That is what YouTube gives viewers.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Podcasting gives folks. We're just listening to folks differently. Yeah,
same canned stuff.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
They want authenticity. They don't want scripts, they don't want that.
They don't want planned and canned. They want real and new.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
And they're making that clear look of all the folks.
So many folks upset about this and Jimmy Kimmel's competition,
but he's not celebrating. These guys have collaborated on plenty
of things over the years and certainly seemed to be
say they are seemed to be robes, authentic friends. But
he didn't hold his tongue and had an expletive laden response, Yes,
what happens?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Yeah, on a story I was on his Instagram story,
Kim Will put out love you, Stephen, fuck you and
all your Sheldon's CBS. That was very blunt and to
the point.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, and he can say that, I hope there's no
backlash or anything. Network's not going to go after him
for that necessarily. He can say what he wants and
that's his opinion. But man, that stings if you're sitting
in his chair, if you're sitting in Falon's chair, if
you're looking to where even if you want to get
rid of me, like I know, the show is going
to go on, but now you have to think that, Wow,
(23:36):
even the show.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
You're getting rid of Late Night is on the table. Yes,
that's scared, you know. I'm actually it is going to
be very interesting what these ratings are going to be
like for the next ten months, because you're seeing obviously
a groundswell of support for Stephen now from the actors
and from the producers and the folks who come on
his show who love his show. And we can tell
you what some of these folks are saying, because it
is interesting. But I was just thinking to myself, are
(23:59):
so many more people now going to watch Colbert now
that they've heard the headlines now that they know it's same,
absolutely same.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Haven't had a desire to watch a late night show
no matter who the guest is, anything that I hear about, Yes,
I want to watch him for the next tea. I
do too, absolutely do.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
And I think that it might be like an incredible
Swan song in a sense, because he might see the
best ratings he's ever seen in his career.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I think no doubt he will. But this reminds me
it's similar to professional athletes who announced that something is
going to be their last season. So now you get
kind of a everywhere they would go for a game,
the crowd gives them love, and that school gives them love.
That he now every celebrity is going to every name
(24:42):
is going to show up in that chair over the
next ten months to be a part of a goodbye
to him, And that's kind of cool. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Some of the folks, some of the folks who wrote
in just to give you a sense, Judd Apatow, famous
filmmaker and producer. He wrote, my admiration and appreciation for
you is bottomless excited to see what other brilliance you
put into the world. Snow White actress Rachel Zegler wrote,
I am extremely sad. I adore you Stephen, but seven
star Adam Scott. I loved what he put out there.
(25:09):
He said, love you, Steven. This is absolute bullshit, And I,
for one am looking forward to the next ten months
of shows. And I really think that is going to
be the sentiment from so many people.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Yeah, we can understand financials, we can actually understand difficult
decisions that have to be made, we can understand a
changing media landscape. But this feels like bullshit exactly. It does,
and we all do. Whether you watch the show or not.
It's still right now. I mean people have that maybe
some political issues with him, but the guy's a talented comedian.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
He was so funny.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
It was The Daily Show, and then he got the
Cobert Report. Yeah, Colbert Report.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yes, he loved him on the Daily Show. It was
amazing on the and that led him to the star
that he is now.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Yeah, and he's been a good steward of that show,
that legacy show, and it was in good hands and
it just right now feels that way.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
You know. I was on I agree. I agree. I
was on a plane with him on the way to
cover the Emmys. The Oscars. I can't remember which a
ward show it was, and he was so kind and
so funny. I watched him interact with his wife, with
the whole rest of the plane. There was some silly
thing that happened with the flight attendant, and I just thought,
what a good guy like I just I don't know
(26:24):
him personally, but I just got to actually observe him.
And you know, it's just, it's it's a it's a
gut punch to anyone who's so good at their craft,
who is now no longer allowed to do the job
they're so amazing at. That is certainly said. But speaking
to the politics, did you see what Senator Warren? Obviously
she's politically motivated, but what she said, what she said
(26:44):
is just what a lot of folks are an investigation
she is so well, no, she already she already. So
here's the deal. This is funny. Back in May, she
opened an investigation into whether Paramount was engaging in bribery
with Trump over this s guy dance merger. So he's
already got an investigation underway about that whole situation. But
she put this out on X She said, CBS canceled
(27:06):
Colbert's show, just three days after Colbert called out CBS
parent company Paramount for its sixteen million dollars settlement with Trump,
a deal that looks like bribery, And then she said
America deserves to know if his show was canceled for
political reasons. Here's the deal. We're never gonna know that
unless Trump announces it and says, yep, that's what happened.
(27:27):
But short of that, are we ever going to actually
know if that had a factor or if it was
the factor for CBS canceling Colbert's show.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
The way they handle it, this one maybe is on them. Sometimes.
I know the public can get going and social media
can get going and say we're never gonna believe what
we're hearing kind of a I don't think it's the
public's fault. I mean, you gave us every reason to
be suspicious. This was days ago, exactly. Got a call
two days after that joke.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Look if Jimmy Fallon's show, if the whole show is
being canceled because of poor ratings, and NBC announced that
no one would probably say a word, this is very different.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, they needed to give us more, maybe something. This
could have been a set. Why would do you have
to do it now. By the way, why couldn't we
have waited till later in the year.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Why we could have announced a final season in September
something like that.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Why now the timing's weird. If now, if we hear
about this damn sale going through anywhere in the next
two months, okay, people are going to lose it.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
They are, and honestly, rightfully so I get it, and
I think a lot of folks listening get it. We
understand sometimes that's not just CoInc sometimes it is. But
a lot of times, what do they say, where there's smoke,
there's fire.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Well, Stephen Gobert, just we thank you and we love
you for the years of entertainment, for being kind on
a plane that robot was on, but we and look,
if you need some help navigating when you have to
leave a job and he didn't want to please, you
know where to find us.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Thanks for listening, everybody. Hope you have a great Friday.
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