Stephen Colbert's decision to return to political comedy marked a sharp departure from his original plan for "The Late Show."
While he is now known for his nightly roasting of Washington, Colbert admitted in an interview with The New York Times that his "instinct" at the start was to actually "back away from politics" and avoid the "increasingly contentious public discourse" of the modern era.
In those first few months, Colbert said he struggled with a show that hadn't yet found its footing and wondered, "Aren't there other ways to have fun with the audience?"
He was ready to leave his "Colbert Report" persona behind for good, but the chaos of the 2016 national party conventions changed everything.
Colbert described the moment using a classic Western metaphor.
"I buried those damn guns," he recalled telling his producer and longtime friend Paul Dinello.
It was Dinello who ultimately pushed Colbert to dig them back up. While Colbert was hesitant to get political again, Dinello argued that the audience was missing his bite.
"You're having fun, and people love to see that," Dinello told him, according to Colbert. When Colbert realized he'd have to return to the political arena, Dinello simply replied, "Buddy, that's the part the audience wants to see."
Despite the success of that pivot, the show is now coming to a close. CBS announced the show will end in July 2025, calling it "purely a financial decision" made during a "challenging" time for late-night television.
In a statement to Variety, CBS executives said the move had nothing to do with the show's content or performance, adding that Colbert "will be remembered in the pantheon of greats."
However, not everyone is buying the network's explanation. Speculation has swirled that CBS canceled the show to "curry favor" with President Donald Trump.
As a longtime critic of the host, Trump's influence over the Federal Communications Commission could have affected a major merger between CBS parent Paramount and Skydance.
Addressing these theories, Colbert told The New York Times that while he does "make jokes" about the network's hidden motives, he does "not dispute their rationale" regarding the show's demise.
He acknowledged the grim reality of the industry.
"It's possible that two things can be true," Colbert said. "Broadcast can be in trouble. They cannot monetize because of things like YouTube, because of the competition of streaming. They've got the books, and I do not have any desire to debate them over what they say their business model is and how it does not work for them anymore."
Despite accepting the network's financial explanation, Colbert pointed out a sudden shift in their long-term commitment to the show.
"But less than two years before they called to say it's over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time," Colbert remarked. "So, something changed."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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