Sorry Stephen Colbert, CBS Cancelled ‘The Late Show’, Not You
Stephen Colbert Said Goodbye Last Night With Guest Paul McCartney
Last night, Stephen Colbert said goodbye to his CBS TV audience after 11 years. His last main guest was rock and roll legend, Paul McCartney. You know that guy from that little band known as, The Beatles.
It was a strange goodbye in most ways, because although Colbert did thank most for his 11 year run, there was more than a little fiery animosity thrown at the network who gave him his long running show, CBS.
Stephen Colbert got fired by CBS because he made politically roasting jokes about President Donald Trump. The new bosses at Paramount/CBS want to protect the Trump administration. That’s what Colbert’s been saying since the news broke and what his loyal supporters mostly believe. But the truth - by virtue of the business decision from CBS itself - is pretty self evident.
Stephen, the Tiffany network cancelled their long-running late night talk show, The Late Show. They didn’t replace you. David Letterman was the first host 33 years ago. Then you. If they were truly firing you, they would have replaced you as you replaced Dave. Simple math.
It’s similar to Craig Ferguson and James Corden with The Late Late Show. Both British comedians hosted the gabfest after The Late Show for years, but when Corden left, CBS didn’t replace the hefty host with anyone new. The brand was simply retired. No politics. No pretense. Just a business decision.
This is the same with The Late Show. Many don’t realize - or may refuse to acknowledge - that if CBS was replacing Colbert or firing him, they would have done so. They haven’t. The network calculated their losses - estimated between 40 and 50 million dollars a year in lost revenue, and decided it wasn’t a prudent business decision to keep on with a late night talk format.
If - as Colbert & supporters claim - CBS wished to truly embarrass Colbert and praise Donald Trump, they could have hired a MAGA centric host to torch Colbert’s legacy and be a comedic shill for Trump’s administration.
It’s money, honey. The Budget is what we’re talking about here. The Late Show cost CBS about 100 million dollars a year, factoring in a staff of 200 people, maintenance of the Ed Sullivan Theater, and Colbert’s salary (estimated at 20 million dollars). Show me the money! cried CBS, and the ad machine wasn’t cooperating.
Jimmy Kimmel most famously said CBS is exaggerating or outright lying about Colbert’s woefully bad financial returns. And if critics of Colbert losing his job were right, a new host would be brought in to keep that train running. They’re not. It’s a new media landscape. People don’t watch broadcast TV as much and ad revenue has dropped by millions. The media has and continues to change.
When The Late Show started up with David Letterman, TV only had broadcast and cable as choices. When Stephen Colbert replaced Letterman, streaming was just taking off and wouldn’t mature for several years. Now, late night viewers literally have thousands of choices - from blockbuster movies to Netflix, YouTube and beyond.
If CBS wished to embarrass Stephen Colbert and or praise the Trump administration they’d have continued with their franchise by replacing Colbert. It may be a hard pill for Colbert fans to swallow, but it’s clear that’s the case.
Instead of mourning Colbert, fans can now turn on one of the two Jimmys. Since all these current late night hosts show off the same comedy instincts and the same intellectual level, that viewing transition should be painless. Of course with Jimmy Kimmel’s long term future fate still in doubt - he only signed a one year extension recently - maybe only one Jimmy will survive to become the last late night talk show titan in history.
Brilliant, Will! This is such a simple and obvious analysis, and it's absolutely spot on!