What Really Killed Colbert?

<div><div><p><span>This week, </span><span><strong>Jimmy Kimmel </strong></span><span>called for disgruntled </span><span><strong>Stephen Colbert</strong></span><span> fans to cancel </span><span><strong>Paramount+</strong></span><span> subscriptions—while appearing </span><span><em>on</em></span><span> </span><span><strong>Paramount</strong></span><span>-owned </span><span><strong>CBS</strong></span><span>, flanked by other supportive late-night hosts. </span><span><strong>Seth Meyers</strong></span><span> jabbed Paramount chief </span><span><strong>David Ellison</strong></span><span> for ruining the network. And </span><span><strong>David Letterman</strong></span><span> came home to bid </span><span><strong>“Late Show”</strong></span><span> farewell, gleefully throwing CBS property off the roof of the </span><span><strong>Ed Sullivan Theater</strong></span><span> and extending network brass a bleeped sign-off, “Good night, and good luck, motherfuckers.”</span></p></div><div><p><span>Through it all, CBS, which again skipped this week’s upfront festivities, has stoically played the role of the television industry’s birthday party piñata for comics and commentators. Yet the network and studio have remained a particularly ripe target because of lingering suspicions that underlying motives—based on politics, not just economics—prompted the cancellation of Colbert’s long-running show, providing late night’s version of a murder mystery.</span></p></div><div><div><p><span>As Colbert prepares to formally sign off May 21, those chickens are coming home to roost. While CBS and Paramount haven’t wavered from the explanation offered last July that “Late Show” had succumbed to economic pressures—</span><span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/business/media/stephen-colbert-late-… telling</a></span><span> </span><span><strong>The</strong></span><span> </span><span><strong>New York Times</strong></span><span> it was “unequivocally a financial decision”—industry veterans tell </span><span><em>Status</em></span><span> they…</span></p></div></div><div><div><p><span><strong>The rest of this story is for paid subscribers only.</strong></span></p></div><div><p><span><strong>Already a subscriber? </strong></span><span><strong><a href="https://www.status.news/login">Sign in</a></strong></span><span><strong>.</strong></span></p></div><div><p><span><strong>Scoop-driven reporting and sharp-edged analysis. See why The Wall Street Journal declared </strong></span><span><strong><em>Status</em></strong></span><span><strong> a “must-read.”</strong></span></p></div></div><div><div><source><source><source><source><img src="https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,quality=80,forma…; alt=""></source></source></source></source></div></div><div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a><source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a><source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a><source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a><source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"><img src="https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,quality=80,forma…; alt=""></a></source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a></source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a></source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a></source><a href="https://youtu.be/AucAqhjGShk"></a></div></div><div><p><span>The latest episode of</span><span><em> Power Lines</em></span><span> just dropped.</span></p></div><div><p><span>In this week’s episode: We discuss </span><span><strong>Bari Weiss’</strong></span><span> terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week in which a series of fiascos embarrassed </span><span><strong>“CBS Evening News”</strong></span><span> anchor </span><span><strong>Tony Dokoupil </strong></span><span>and highlighted her television news inexperience—all while we broke news about how she undermined legendary</span><span><strong> “60 Minutes”</strong></span><span> correspondent</span><span><strong> Lesley Stahl</strong></span><span>.</span></p></div><div><p><span>Plus, we break down the controversy at </span><span><strong>The NYT</strong></span><span> after the newspaper’s opinion section published the </span><span><strong>Nicholas Kristof </strong></span><span>column that made shocking allegations about the rape of Palestinians. And we delve into our reporting about how </span><span><strong>Axel Springer </strong></span><span>boss </span><span><strong>Mathias Döpfner</strong></span><span> has been quietly trying to court </span><span><strong>Donald Trump</strong></span><span>.</span></p></div><div><div><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… src="https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,quality=80,forma…; alt=""></a></source><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-lines-with-oliver-darcy-and… src="https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,quality=80,forma…; alt=""></source></source></source></source><div><small></small><p><span>Kelly Reilly and Ed Harris in "Dutton Ranch." (Emerson Miller/Paramount+)</span></p></div></div></div><div><p><span><strong><em>Déjà Vu at ‘Dutton Ranch’:</em></strong></span><span> After the success of </span><span><strong>CBS’</strong></span><span> by-the-numbers </span><span><strong>"Marshals,"</strong></span><span> it’s clear there’s still plenty of diesel left in</span><span><strong> Taylor Sheridan’s</strong></span><span> ever-expanding </span><span><strong>“Yellowstone”</strong></span><span> television universe—which bodes well, commercially at least, for </span><span><strong>"Dutton Ranch." </strong></span><span>Sheridan also hasn’t lost his touch attracting marquee actors of a certain age—in this case, </span><span><strong>Annette Bening</strong></span><span> and </span><span><strong>Ed Harris</strong></span><span>—to ride shotgun with </span><span><strong>Kelly Reilly</strong></span><span> and </span><span><strong>Cole Hauser</strong></span><span> as they migrate to </span><span><strong>Texas</strong></span><span> but conveniently stumble directly into a brand-new western soap opera.</span></p></div><div><div><p><span>After an unforeseen event forces them to leave </span><span><strong>Montana</strong></span><span>, Beth (Reilly) and Rip (Hauser) stake their claim in Texas, where they almost immediately run afoul of…</span></p></div></div><div><div><p><span><strong>Already a subscriber? </strong></span><span><a href="https://www.status.news/login"><strong>Sign in</strong></a></span><span><strong>.</strong></span></p></div><div><p><span>A subscription gets you full access to our nightly newsletter, which includes:</span></p></div><div><p><span>✅</span><span> Essential reporting on and analysis of the Fourth Estate, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the Information Wars, and more.</span></p></div><div><p><span>✅</span><span> Hand-curated links to the most consequential stories moving the needle in the key corridors of the industry.</span></p></div><div><p><span>✅</span><span> Unlimited access to our online archive where you can read previous editions of the newsletter.</span></p></div></div></div>