CBS says it cancelled Stephen Colbert’s late-night show because of money issues, but comedy writer and producer Lizz Winstead doesn’t believe that’s the full story. She thinks the real reason is much more serious: Stephen Colbert’s show may have been shut down because it spoke too much truth and challenged powerful people.
Winstead, who helped create The Daily Show, told Fox that the decision doesn’t make sense if it’s just about budget cuts. Stephen Colbert is one of the most respected voices in comedy and politics. His show brought in big audiences and regularly called out politicians and business leaders from both sides. Winstead says cancelling the entire franchise is a sign that CBS may have been afraid of what Colbert was saying.
“To just drop the franchise itself… that says to me, you’re afraid,” Winstead explained. She compared Colbert’s fearless comedy to other shows like The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where the hosts point out hypocrisy and wrongdoing no matter who is in power.
She also mentioned how important it is that these comedians are genuine and passionate, which helps them connect with people in a way traditional news can’t. She called Colbert’s firing a “warning shot” to others in comedy, saying that even successful white male hosts are now being silenced if they cross a line.
In a piece for Rolling Stone, Winstead wrote that Stephen Colbert’s firing sends a dangerous message: if you criticise the wrong people or say things that upset the powerful, you might lose your platform, even if your show is doing well.
The timing of the cancellation also makes Winstead suspicious. Just before the show was cancelled, Colbert had criticised a legal settlement between CBS’s parent company, Paramount, and Donald Trump. He called it a “big fat bribe.” Winstead believes that kind of open criticism may have played a part in the network’s decision.
She and others now believe that the cancellation wasn’t just about money, but rather about removing a strong, honest voice from late-night television. It’s part of a bigger concern that media companies are less willing to support shows that question authority or speak from a progressive point of view.
