Is the cancelation of Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' the end of late-night TV?

Here & Now Anytime

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4.1 • 953 Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

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Summary

CBS is canceling "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Parent company Paramount is in the middle of a multibillion-dollar merger with the studio Skydance. The deal needs approval from the Trump administration, and Colbert has been a harsh critic of the president. CNN's Brian Stelter joins us why CBS canceled the show. Then, historian Julian Zelizer says there was a time when voter unrest could move Congress. He recalls the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of the 1980s, which passed with bipartisan support. But when voters revolted, Congress repealed the law. And, President Trump has signaled frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he pushes for a regional cease-fire. Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum, tells us more.

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0:00.0	Support for here and now anytime comes from MathWorks, creator of MATLAB and Simulink software for technical computing and model-based design.
0:09.2	MathWorks, accelerating the pace of discovery in engineering and science. Learn more at Mathworks.com.
0:17.5	WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:22.6	Yes, the late-night market is, Boston. Yes, the late night market is cratering.
0:24.7	Yes, these shows are being splintered into a million viral video pieces.
0:28.4	And yet, you're right to wonder if maybe the company would have tried to save the show,
0:33.5	were it not for the political pressures of the moment.
0:36.4	What's the real reason Colbert got canceled?
0:40.0	It's Tuesday, July 22nd, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBUR.
0:45.5	I'm Chris Bentley.
1:01.1	Today on the show, the White House claims President Trump is growing impatient with Israel.
1:05.9	But what is the U.S. actually doing to stop the slaughter of Palestinians?
1:12.7	Also, with millions set to lose their health insurance and food stamps, you might expect a popular revolt against Republicans.
1:16.2	But history shows the body politic has a way of metabolizing unpopular policies.
1:22.4	This legislation is so transparently bad for many Republican voters.
1:29.0	I think they're going to just hope that they can basically, you know, get through this and have voters still support them.
1:40.4	We'll get to that conversation in a few minutes, but first, is this the end of late night?
1:48.2	CBS is canceling the top-rated late show with Stephen Colbert, citing financial concerns.
1:55.7	Colbert and others have questioned the timing, however, pointing out that their parent company, Paramount, is in the middle
2:01.7	of a multi-billion dollar merger with the studio Skydance. That deal needs the approval of the Trump
2:07.9	administration, and Colbert has a tendency to skewer the president on his show. So whatever the
2:14.3	reason, it got us thinking about the role of the late-night political comedy show in this day and age.
	...

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