WGA Calls for Investigation Into CBS Canceling ‘Late Show’ After Trump Dig

The Writers Guild of America isn’t just questioning the timing of CBS canceling Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show — they are calling for an investigation and accusing the network of trying to “curry favor” with President Donald Trump.

“On July 2nd, Paramount agreed to settle a baseless lawsuit brought against 60 Minutes and CBS News by President Trump for $16 million,” read a Friday, July 18, statement from the labor union. “On July 15, during a regular show of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert went on-air and called the settlement a ‘big fat bribe’ in exchange for a favorable decision on the proposed merger between Paramount and Skydance, a charge currently under investigation in California.”

WGA pointed out that The Late Show’s final season was announced “less than 48 hours later,” adding, “Paramount canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a show currently performing first in its timeslot, giving vague references to the program’s ‘financial performance’ as the only explanation. For ten years, the show has been one of the most successful, beloved and profitable programs on CBS, entertaining an audience of millions on late night television, on streaming services and across social media.”

The statement noted WGA’s “significant concerns” about the cancellation.

“Given Paramount’s recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS News lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America has significant concerns that The Late Show’s cancelation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration as the company looks for merger approval,” they continued. “Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society.”

WGA went on to call for an investigation, writing, “Paramount’s decision comes against a backdrop of relentless attacks on a free press by President Trump, through lawsuits against CBS and ABC, threatened litigation of media organizations with critical coverage, and the unconscionable defunding of PBS and NPR. The Writers Guild of America calls on New York State Attorney General Letitia James, no stranger to prosecuting Trump for illegal business practices, to join California and launch an investigation into potential wrongdoing at Paramount.”

The statement concluded: “We call on our elected leaders to hold those responsible to account, to demand answers about why this beloved program was canceled and to assure the public that Colbert and his writers were not censored due to their views or the whims of the President. In the meantime, the Writers Guild of America will support our members at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and across the late-night industry as they speak truth to power and we will explore all potential legal and political avenues to fight for our members in the aftermath of this decision.”

On Thursday, July 17, CBS executives released a statement about The Late Show’s fate.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time,” their statement read. “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”

The network revealed that it was a “financial” decision that was not “related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

The statement acknowledged that The Late Night “has been #1 in late night for nine straight seasons, adding, “Stephen’s comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist.”

Amid backlash over the decision, Colbert’s recent comment about Paramount, CBS’s parent company, settling what he called “a nuisance lawsuit” brought by Trump, 79, has resurfaced. In his lawsuit, Trump alleged that 60 Minutes had unfairly edited an interview of Kamala Harris.

“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Friday. “His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”

While CBS has not yet publicly addressed WGA’s statement, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren weighed in on the sudden cancellation.

“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,” Warren claimed on X. “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also shared his concerns, writing via X, “CBS’s billionaire owners pay Trump $16 million to settle a bogus lawsuit while trying to sell the network to Skydance. 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.”