Things are getting ugly on late-night TV.
An interview on Stephen Colbert’s show was nixed and only aired on social media, which Colbert claims was because his network told him he could not air the show.
The network, in turn, released a statement, more or less calling him a liar, which Colbert trashed on air. The stunt worked, though, as the Texas Democrat who is trying to unseat Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Democrat state Rep. James Talarico (TX-50), raised over $2 million after Colbert broke the initial news.
Colbert recently found out that CBS was not going to renew his show and that his final show would be on May 21.
The liberal host, of course, blamed the bad orange man, believing that the cancellation of his show was serving as a bribe to pacify Trump to get off the back of CBS after Trump had hit the network with a massive suit over a “60 Minutes” segment.
He referred to the $16 million settlement in his whiny monologue that night, stating, “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”
Viewership in this niche has been trending downward, and the network said the show just did not make monetary sense any longer. The network is toying with different ideas to fill the time slot, such as simulcasting less expensive shows, such as “The Daily Show.”
Colbert had Talarico on the show, but the network appeared to be concerned with equal time laws from the FCC.
It advised the show to pull it from the actual show and post it on its social media channels rather than air it on TV, which would likely result in the show having to offer like time to the other candidates in the race, including Talarico’s fellow Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).
Colbert, of course, played the victim and talked up Talarico, who then reaped the benefits, raising about $2.5 million after the news broke. Talarico stated, “This is a campaign of, by, and for the people — so I’m proud that neighbors from all across our state and country stood together to defend free speech.”
I will admit that I am biased in my thinking here, but I would not doubt for a second that this was a scheme cooked up by Colbert to drive fundraising for Talarico. It just fits the mold of this manipulative game he plays with his liberal fan base.
Colbert ripped the network for its statement, but he seemed more upset that the lawyers dared to address the situation without discussing it with him first. I don’t think he quite understands how the corporate food chain works.
After saying he could not believe how this “small piece of paper [was] considering how many butts it’s trying to cover."
He then stated, "I’m just so surprised that this giant, global corporation would not stand up to these bullies. Come on, you’re Paramount! No. No. No, you’re more than that. You’re Paramount Plus! Plus what? I guess we’re all going to find out pretty soon. And for the lawyers to release this without even talking to me is really surprising. I don’t even know what to do with this crap.”
At that point, he brought out a doggie poop bag and picked up the letter as one would clean up after their dog, and tossed it in the trash. I can tell you right now, if I were running that network, that would have been his last show. I would pay him whatever I had to pay him, but he would no longer be on the air. Sure, he can say whatever he wants, but there are sometimes consequences. I just cannot imagine any employer in the real world tolerating that kind of nonsense.
