President Donald Trump is addressing speculation he had something to do with the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
“Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night. That is not true!” Trump, 79, wrote via his Truth Social account on Tuesday, July 29.
“The reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT, and the fact that this deficiency was costing CBS $50 Million Dollars a year in losses — And it was only going to get WORSE!” Trump claimed.
According to the president, he suspects that Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will be next on the chopping block.
“Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon. The only real question is, who will go first?” Trump shared.
He added, “Show Biz and Television is a very simple business. If you get Ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don’t, you always become a victim. Colbert became a victim to himself, the other two will follow.”
Colbert, 61, broke the news of The Late Show’s cancellation during the July 17 taping of his late night talk show.
“Before we start the show I want to let you know something that I found out just last night,” he said. “Next year will be our last season, the network will be ending The Late Show in May.”
As the studio audience booed, the comedian said, “I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away. I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners. … And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there and all around the world.”
While CBS said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision,” some people — including Colbert — have questioned whether it was politically motivated. Colbert frequently criticizes Trump on the show, including taking aim at CBS parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump over a lawsuit brought by the president. Colbert criticized the deal just days before his show was canceled.
Last week, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission approved an $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, prompting speculation over whether Colbert’s cancellation was a bargaining chip to help the deal through.
“CBS’s billionaire owners pay Trump $16 million to settle a bogus lawsuit while trying to sell the network to Skydance. Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late night host, slams the deal. Days later, he’s fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO,” wrote Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders via X on July 18.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned whether the cancellation was a “political favor in exchange for approval of Paramount’s megamerger with Skydance” in her own X post.
For its part, CBS claimed in a statement issued on July 17 that the cancellation is unrelated “in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
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