What have the late night hosts said about Stephen Colbert and ‘The Late Show’ being cancelled?
The dust has now settled on news of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert being cancelled, and — with questions remaining over the real reason for the cancellation — the other late night hosts including Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon have all shared their thoughts on the situation.
While most of them posted on social media following the news, others have given lengthier responses in monologues on their own shows. We’ve rounded up what everyone has said so far below.
Jon Stewart
Colbert’s friend and former colleague Jon Stewart had a lot to say about the cancellation in his Daily Show monologue on Monday, going after his own parent company (Paramount Global owns both Comedy Central and CBS) over the possible reasons behind the cancellation, emphasising that the company needs the Trump administration’s approval for a proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance.
“Look, I understand the corporate fear. I understand the fear that you and your advertisers have $8 billion at stake. But understand this: Truly, the shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those fucking shows. That’s what made you that money,” Stewart said. “If you believe, as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king’s radar, A) Why will anyone watch you?, and B) You’re fucking wrong.”
Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel is currently on a two-month vacation from hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but he took some time to post a blunt Instagram story after the news broke.
“Love you Stephen,” he wrote. “Fuck you and all your Sheldons, CBS.”
Jimmy Fallon
The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon posted an Instagram story of his own and briefly addressed the Late Show cancellation as part of his monologue on Monday.
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“I’m just as shocked as everyone. Stephen is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it. I really thought I’d ride this out with him for years to come,” Fallon wrote on Instagram. “I’m sad that my family and friends will need a new show to watch every night at 11:30. But honestly, he’s really been a gentleman and a true friend over the years — going back to The Colbert Report, and I’m sure whatever he does next will be just as brilliant.”
Meanwhile, during his Monday monologue, Fallon paid tribute to the “years of smart and incredibly hilarious television” Colbert has made on The Late Show.
“Welcome to The Tonight Show! I am your host…well, at least for tonight,” Fallon said. “I don’t like it. I don’t like what’s going on one bit. These are crazy times. This morning my dad called and said he’s officially a Kimmel guy.”
Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers, who was recently on vacation from hosting Late Night, also reacted on Instagram to the news.
“For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person,” Meyers wrote in an Instagram story. “I’m going to miss having him on TV every night but I’m excited he can no longer use the excuse that he’s ‘too busy to hang out’ with me.”
John Oliver
John Oliver was asked about the Late Show cancellation over the weekend while speaking to journalists at a minor league baseball game, and footage of his response was shared by AP.
“It’s very sad,” he said. “Obviously I love Stephen, I love his staff, I love that show. It’s incredibly sad, but I’m partly excited to see what they’re gonna do for the next 10 months. But yeah, it’s terrible, terrible news for the world of comedy. Late night shows mean a lot to me, not just ‘cuz I work in them, but because even growing up in England I would watch Letterman’s show, which of course was Stephen’s show, and think about what a glamorous world that was. So to have got to have been on Letterman’s show and Stephen’s show is always one of the most fun things. So it’s very, very very sad news. I look forward to seeing what he’s going to do next, because that man will not stop.”
David Letterman
Former host of The Late Show David Letterman shared a video on his YouTube channel featuring various clips of himself criticising CBS over the years.
“You can’t spell CBS without BS,” was the blunt caption.