One Thing: Why Comedians Say Colbert’s Exit is No Joke

CNN 5 Things

CNN

News, Daily News

3.7 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2026

⏱️ 22 minutes

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Summary

Stephen Colbert signed off from the “Late Show” for the final time Thursday after CBS ended the iconic late night franchise. While many believe his criticism of President Donald Trump played a factor, the network insists it was purely a financial decision. But can political comedy and media consolidation coexist? And how will pressure from Trump’s FCC influence broadcasters going forward? A working comedian weighs in. For more: watch ‘The Last Laugh: Stephen Colbert’ --- Guest: Michael Ian Black, “Have I Got News for You” team captain Host: David Rind Producer: Paola Ortiz Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin Support: Sophie Tran Photo By: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to One Thing. I'm David Rind, and this comedian says Stephen Colbert's exit is a warning for the rest of us.
0:07.9	Free speech that used to be, for lack of a better word, free, now feels like it's coming with a price tag attached to it.
0:16.8	Stick around. When Stephen Colbert announced last year that CBS was canceling The Late Show, many wondered why.
0:24.6	Colbert consistently beat his late-night competitors in the ratings.
0:27.8	He's well-liked in the industry.
0:29.5	This was once the home of David Letterman.
0:31.3	The Late Show is an institution.
0:33.3	So what gives?
0:36.6	While I was on vacation, my parent corporation, Paramount, paid Donald Trump a $16 million
0:41.8	settlement over his 60 minutes lawsuit.
0:45.1	Well, at the time, CBS's parent company Paramount, was about to merge with Skydance, whose
0:50.3	leadership is close with the Trump administration.
0:53.3	And Paramount had just agreed to settle a lawsuit
0:55.5	filed by Trump against 60 minutes over an edit made to a Kamala Harris interview during the 2024 campaign.
1:02.4	Many legal experts did not think it would hold up in court, but Paramount ponied up anyway, though that check did not include an apology.
1:09.8	They also said that decision to settle was separate from the Skydance transaction.
1:13.6	Colbert has been a longtime critic of President Trump.
1:16.6	He was not a fan of the deal and said as much on his show.
1:19.6	I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles.
1:26.6	It's big fat bribe.
1:29.0	Just days later, he was informed that the Late Show would end in May 2026.
1:34.6	And about a week after that, the Skydance Paramount merger was approved by the Department of Justice.
	...

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