FCC chairman slams ‘partisan left’ reaction to Colbert’s CBS cancellation

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr shot back on Monday at left-wing celebrities and politicians decrying CBS canceling Stephen Colbert’s late-night show. 

“The partisan left’s ritualist wailing and gnashing of teeth over Colbert is quite revealing. They’re acting like they’re losing a loyal DNC spokesperson that was entitled to an exemption from the laws of economics,” Carr posted on X.

CBS announced Thursday that it was canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and that the final episode will air in May 2026. The talk show’s cancellation led to widespread recriminations among progressive politicians, journalists, and celebrities.

“They just cut NPR and, you know, public broadcasting. Yes, they’re trying to silence people, but that won’t work. It won’t work. We will just get louder,” actress Jamie Lee Curtis told the Associated Press.

STEPHEN COLBERT MOCKS HIS PARAMOUNT BOSSES FOR CONSIDERING ‘SHADY’ $50M TRUMP SETTLEMENT

The Tiffany Network was widely accused, including by senators, of canceling Colbert for political reasons. CBS recently agreed to a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump after he accused the network of “election interference” over its editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The settlement came amid a pending merger with CBS parent company Paramount and Skydance, which requires administration approval. Colbert blasted the network for settling with Trump in what he deemed a “nuisance lawsuit” in a monologue on his show prior to being given the axe.

“Now I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles. It’s big fat bribe,” Colbert said.

“CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., posted on X.

“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,” Sen. Bernie Sanders I-Vt., posted on X.

“If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote on X.

CBS maintains that Colbert was canceled purely for financial reasons. Although the “Late Show” was regularly No. 1 in its timeslot among network television, the show lost $40 million a year in revenue. This is due, in part, to declining overall viewership among late-night shows. Colbert’s former Comedy Central colleague, Jon Stewart, cast doubt on the network’s explanation Monday. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

“Watching Stephen exceed all expectations in the role and become the number one late-night show on network television has been an undeniable great pleasure for me as a viewer and as his friend, and now Stephen has been canceled for ‘purely financial reasons,’ Stewart said on “The Daily Show.”

Colbert was known as a fierce critic of Trump who eschewed the traditional late-night talk show format of appealing to the broadest swath of Americans with universal humor, instead opting for a hyper-partisan program. Trump, for his part, relished in Colbert’s firing.

“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired, his talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,” Trump said.

The “Late Show” host did not pull any punches in his response to Trump.

“How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?: Go f— yourself,” Colbert said. 

In another post on X, Carr slammed the comedian over his outburst.

“I’m surprised to learn that CBS didn’t find this stuff profitable,” Carr wrote over a re-post of an article detailing the host’s foul-mouthed message to Trump.