Critics suggest Colbert firing was politically motivated

Stephen Colbert s announcement at the top of his show on Thursday that The Late Show will end in May was met with skepticism and indeed outrage from those who saw the decision as being politically motivated CBS and its parent company Paramount insist the move was purely a financial decision made amid a challenging late-night landscape Colbert had helmed the highest-rated show in his time slot Executives called him irreplaceable and noted the franchise itself would be retired Related Pam Bondi escalates disturbing war on reporters but the inhabitants is choosing to look away But critics and even particular CBS staff aren t buying it The announcement came just days after Colbert torched Paramount on air for paying Donald Trump million to settle a billion lawsuit over a Minutes interview In Monday s monologue Colbert called the settlement a big fat bribe adding As someone who has inevitably been a proud employee of this system I am offended And I don t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company but just taking a stab at it I d say million would help According to The Independent several CBS insiders described the grid s residents explanation as implausible No one at the system is buying that it s a financial decision one senior staffer explained The Independent Another mentioned that multiple viewed the cancellation as part and parcel of the Trump shakedown settlement referencing Trump s ongoing pressure campaign against perceived media enemies On Thursday Trump threatened to sue the Wall Street Journal for publishing a story about a letter he allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein at the same time the Republican Senate voted to slash funding to NPR and PBS Paramount also has a pending merger with Skydance Media which requires FCC approval Start your day with essential news from Salon Sign up for our free morning newsletter Crash Discipline Other prominent figures echoed the outrage Jimmy Kimmel posted Love you Stephen F k you and all your Sheldons CBS while Elizabeth Warren demanded answers CBS canceled Colbert s show just THREE DAYS after he called out CBS parent company Paramount for its M settlement with Trump a deal that looks like bribery America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons MSNBC s Chris Hayes put it bluntly Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country s leader on TV without repercussions What led to Paramount s move reflects an extraordinary level of eagerness by top brass to grovel at the feet of this president as he targets his perceived enemies according to Inae Oh writing in Mother Jones She noted that Shari Redstone Paramount s chairwoman reportedly urged CBS to avoid negative Trump coverage until after the merger Colbert s cancellation she warned signals a dark new chapter in Trump s authoritarian slide Read more about the media under Trump Paramount just paid a bribe Senator demands examination after million settlement with Trump Trump s hand-picked FCC head Carr launches investigations into NPR and PBS Throw her out like a dog Trump wants CNN s Natasha Bertrand fired after summary on Iranian strikes The post Critics suggest Colbert firing was politically motivated appeared first on Salon com