Basic Econ 101: spend more cash than you earn-->-->-->out of business
consumer cord cutting + consumer choice + colbert = canceled aka markled
There’s a very simple reason why “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was canceled by CBS: the program was losing huge amounts of money, Puck reported.
Consumer Cord Cutting + consumer choice + colbert (a loser in RED) = canceled aka markled
"CBS did not plan to announce the move so soon, per sources, but Colbert decided that to avoid leaks, he wanted to reveal it this afternoon to his staff and discuss it on his show tonight, which he did."
Colbert Production Cost is $100 million per year but profit is a negative $40-50 million/year 😳
Industrywide Ad Revenue for late night shows has plummeted 50% in 2018 to 2024
Colbert's bloated multi-million dollar salary
Colbert's bloated 200 person staff to produce a 45 minute show
Exorbitant cost to maintain The Manhattan Theatre
Smallest digital footprint on social media
When notorious celebrity Trump haters come out to publicly condemn Colbert for blaming Trump, it sounds like Colbert is a behaving like an entitled cry baby, plotting to get terminated (with a bigger pay out) before May 2016. How many Americans would love 10 months notice to end their contract? YouTube and podcasting provide consumers with more choice, and pharmaceutical advertising dollars are on the chopper.
Keith Olbermann: If they were firing him for saying something about Trump, they would have just fired him. They're giving him (Colbert) 10 months, this isn't about Trump.
Colbert and his 200 staffers produce a (losing) show at $100 million/yr BUT lose $40-$50 million per year!!!
NY Post estimates $40 million/yr losses
NYT estimates $50 million/yr losses
Colbert Nielsen Ratings:
peaked in 2018 at 3.81 million viewers = 32% decline
Significant Decline: 2.417 million viewers & only 219,000 or 9% fell w/in the critical advertising demographic w/disposable income
Don’t blame Trump. Here’s embarrassing, real reason Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ was canceled || CBS in Distress: Colbert’s Exit & The Rhodes-Weiss Era Jul. 19, 2025
Colbert had to walk the plank because “The Late Show” was losing $40 million a year. The show was shockingly canceled even though Colbert continues to beat late-night rivals Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon in the ratings. It was reported that “The Late Show” costs $100 million a year to produce, with host Colbert receiving between $15 million and $20 million to host. Late night programs have become less profitable in recent years as viewers have turned away from the format in favor of streaming services or watching content on their phones. Advertiser revenue has slumped sharply even in the last three years, Puck reported, making it harder to pull Colbert’s show out of the red. Colbert was reported to be “not angry, actually” about his show’s cancellation, Puck said, and was chatting with staff in a “matter-of-fact” way before the cancellation was announced.
Colbert, whose final show will be broadcast in May 2026, was first informed his show was in danger around July 4, it’s been reported.
The host then went on vacation, CNN said, which gave CBS bigwigs a chance to plot against him in his absence. The announcement of the cancellation came after Colbert on the air slammed CBS’s $15 million settlement with President Donald Trump over last year’s network interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s rival in the presidential election. Colbert called the settlement “a big fat bribe.”
Colbert, who will broadcast his final show in May 2026, was first informed his show was on the chopping block around July 4, it is claimed. Paramount Co-CEO George Cheeks made the decision, Puck reported. All three major late night hosts - Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon - have become notorious for their regular rants about President Trump, which many viewers have complained are boring and off-putting. But Belloni said he didn't believe the famously anti-MAGA Colbert was axed to appease Donald Trump, who recently won a $15 million payout from CBS after suing them over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris he said was deceptively edited. The axing of Colbert has delighted Trump, who posted about it on his TruthSocial network earlier today. Colbert's ouster could also make it easier for CBS parent company Paramount's efforts to merge with media company Skydance in a deal that must be approved by Trump's Federal Communications Commission. Colbert's axing came just days after he sniped at CBS bosses for settling with Trump, branding the deal a 'big fat bribe.' The Late Show launched in 1993 under David Letterman to compete with longtime late night juggernaut The Tonight Show. Colbert took over from Letterman in 2015 after his retirement. More than three decades later, CBS's entry into the late night sphere sits at the top, with second-best Jimmy Kimmel Live! raking in an average of 1.772 million viewers. Colbert, by comparison, collects an average of 2.417 million. Colbert - who once played a conservative character on Comedy Central's satirical late night program The Colbert Report - often aired jokes at the conservative's expense.
As Paramount prepares to remake itself, David Rhodes has emerged as a likely successor at CBS News, possibly advised by Bari Weiss. And company insiders suggest that the Colbert cancellation was purely economic, but is that buyable? By Tom Wrobleski [email protected]
Trump celebrated the news of the show's cancellation as a result: 'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' he wrote in a Friday Truth Social post. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert,' he added, before talking up right-wing Fox New star Greg Gutfeld. '[He's] better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,' Trump added, referring to Jimmy Fallon. Trump previously worked for NBC during his days on 'The Apprentice.'
As Paramount prepares to remake itself, David Rhodes has emerged as a likely successor at CBS News, possibly advised by Bari Weiss. And comp
Colbert's surprise cancelation comes amid claims he got the boot for taking a noble stand against Donald Trump.
CBS hatched plot while popular TV host was on vacation.
