I continue to be impressed by how well Stephen Colbert handled the awkward position of being a guy whose show was canceled out from under him for reasons that were, at best, questionable. No ranting, no crying, no making himself a victim. And certainly no one whose head is not firmly up the butt of our Commander-in-Cheapshots thinks that Colbert's career is over or that we've heard the last of the guy. He may be more dangerous to Trumpiness as a Free Agent. (Note: The 79th Annual Tony Awards will take place on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony will be hosted by P!nk and broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+.)
Many folks are celebrating the 85% drop (or whatever it was) from his last show to the first appearance of Byron Allen programming in that time slot. I'm not sure that's fair because, first of all, anything short of the Super Bowl would have disappointed in that situation…and even the possible non-political reasons for replacing Colbert didn't presume Allen's show would equal Colbert's ordinary numbers. They just thought it might be more cost-effective, especially with Allen assuming the financial risks. That's not a CBS trying to remain competitive.
I'm sad to see that network becoming what it's becoming and not just for political reasons. Not that it's a direct comparison but for several years, I did the Garfield and Friends show which was their highest-rated Saturday morning series. It ended not because there was another show that anyone thought might get higher ratings but because the financial model for that daypart was changing — just as it's been changing in late night — and CBS decided their only recourse was to fill their Saturday AM schedule with much cheaper programming.
People are arguing over whether the decision to ditch Colbert was really for "financial reasons" or because he was pissing off folks with power, including the power to block or permit mergers. It could easily have been both. They already replaced James Corden's late night programming with things that cost a lot less and I don't recall him ever angering a president or being an obstacle to a huge deal. Then again, I'm not all that inclined to give the power brokers in this the benefit of any doubts.
I'm fascinated to see what Colbert does next. Here's something that probably won't happen but it would go very viral if it did. Jon Stewart starts The Daily Show next Monday or the Monday after or really any Monday…and he gets so incensed over the Trump-related news he's reporting that he can't take it any longer. He storms off the show leaving the anchor desk empty and there's a moment of feigned uncertainty of what's going to happen…who's going to finish the show that night? And then Colbert walks out and does.
It would be funny and it would send a nice message: They can take a man's show away but they can't shut him up. Not forever, at least.