Overview
- At the WGA Awards in New York on March 8, Stephen Colbert accepted the Walter Bernstein Award and quipped that “the revolution was going to be televised, but then Paramount bought it,” joking about reports of a $40 million annual loss.
- He read jokes that never aired on The Late Show, citing lines tied to the Dobbs decision, Louis C.K., Kristi Noem, Ivanka Trump, and an NSFW McDonald’s punchline that became a staff gag gift.
- He praised and named roughly 20 writers, urging the industry to employ them as the show heads to its final episode on May 21.
- CBS and Paramount reiterate that ending The Late Show was a purely financial decision unrelated to content, performance, or other company matters.
- The Writers Guild has asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate potential wrongdoing at Paramount, with union leaders pointing to a $16 million Trump settlement and concurrent merger activity, and Trump later celebrated the cancellation online.