Trump was ‘personally involved’ in Stephen Colbert cancellation, claims veteran TV reporter

WASHINGTON, DC: Questions about whether President Donald Trump had any role in the end of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show resurfaced this weekend after longtime television reporter Bill Carter claimed the president appeared “personally involved” in the controversy.

During an appearance on MSNBC’s ‘The Weekend’ on Saturday, May 23, Carter pointed to an AI-generated video shared on Trump’s official X account shortly after Colbert’s finale as the reason behind his comments.

However, despite speculation surrounding the timing, there is currently no confirmed evidence linking Trump directly to CBS’ decision to cancel ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.’

Bill Carter questions Trump’s role in Stephen Colbert exit

Carter, who is widely known for covering late-night television and wrote the book ‘The Late Shift,’ argued that Trump’s public reaction to Colbert’s final episode fueled suspicions about the president’s involvement.

“It’s not a good development for the country, obviously,” Carter said during the interview. “Certainly the idea that he throws a man in the dumpster at the end of it indicates that he was personally involved.”

The comment referred to an AI-generated video posted on Trump’s official X account. In the clip, Trump appears to grab Colbert from the stage and throw him into a dumpster before dancing to the Village People’s ‘YMCA.’

CBS cites financial losses behind Stephen Colbert cancellation

CBS officially announced the cancellation of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ last summer, saying the move was based on financial concerns. Colbert repeatedly pushed back against that explanation during the final stretch of the show.

However, reports at the time stated that the program was losing the network nearly $40 million per year.

Carter questioned whether viewers still believed the financial explanation was the only factor behind the decision.

“I think CBS, when they capitulated in the lawsuit that Trump filed against ‘60 Minutes,’ was sending a signal that they’re not going to be the independent journalism outfit that they should be,” Carter said.

He also argued that networks may now be more cautious about openly political comedy programming involving Trump.

“But wiping out the time period, they basically said, we’re not even the same business anymore,” Carter added. Despite Carter’s criticism, CBS has not suggested politics played any role in the cancellation.

Trump and Stephen Colbert’s years-long feud

Part of the reason Carter’s claims gained traction online is that Trump and Colbert publicly clashed for years. Colbert frequently mocked Trump throughout his presidency and continued doing so during his second term.

According to a study from the Media Research Center, Colbert made 3,639 jokes about Trump between January 2023 and the end of the show.

Trump, meanwhile, has long criticized late-night hosts and major media outlets that he believes unfairly target him politically.

During the MSNBC discussion, Carter also claimed that many viewers no longer fully accepted the idea that Colbert’s exit was purely about money.

“The government was pushing to get rid of this man because he was a critic,” he said. “We don’t shut people up because they criticize us.”