Radio host Charlamagne tha God criticized the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert during his Friday episode of The Breakfast Club, calling it an act of authoritarianism linked to President Donald Trump.
Colbert announced Thursday that CBS would be ending his late-night show in the spring of 2026. His announcement drew boos from the live studio audience and backlash from his progressive supporters.
The announcement comes shortly after CBS and its parent company Paramount reached a settlement with Trump. The former president had sued them for “election interference” over an edited 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign.
On The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne designated CBS and Paramount as the show’s “Donkey of the Day,” while acknowledging his professional ties to Paramount.
Charlamagne noted the timing of the cancellation — just three days after Colbert publicly called the Paramount-Trump settlement a “big, fat bribe” — and questioned the motives behind the decision.
“It’s so obvious that Paramount is doing this to appease Donald Trump,” he said. “Paramount cut a $16 million check to Donald Trump so they can get their merger approved and keep the FCC off their backs.”
He described the settlement as “hush money for the truth,” linking it directly to Colbert’s cancellation, Fox News reported.
“That’s not coincidence. That’s consequence,” Charlamagne added.
The radio host accused the Trump administration of trying to suppress critical media voices. “This is textbook authoritarian rule,” he said, citing actions like targeting critics, centralizing power, and punishing dissent.
He warned that the move could intimidate other media outlets, discouraging criticism of Trump for fear of job loss or loss of editorial control.
Charlamagne referred to the situation as “weaponizing legal systems to punish dissent and control messaging,” comparing it to tactics used in authoritarian regimes.
He emphasized Colbert’s consistent criticism of Trump over the years and pointed to the show’s ratings success as further evidence that the cancellation was politically motivated.
“It becomes a warning. ‘Speak out and we will silence you,’” he said. “That is textbook authoritarian strategy.”
He invoked comparisons to North Korea, China, and Russia, arguing that strategic silence within corporate media is a sign of a broader move toward authoritarian control.
“When that happens — well, it’s already happened,” he said. “We are fully under authoritarian rule.”
Charlamagne described the event as more than a media decision, calling it “a free speech funeral in slow motion.”
CBS, however, said in a statement that the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” and not related to the show’s content or network politics.
According to reports, The Late Show was losing CBS around $40 million annually.
Despite this, several Democrats and progressive critics continue to accuse CBS of bowing to political pressure from the Trump administration in making the decision.
White House spokesman Kush Desai responded by downplaying Colbert’s relevance, stating, “Stephen Colbert’s overdone and unoriginal ‘comedy’ schtick blasting Trump and Republicans every night is just not that funny or entertaining.”
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Author: Anthony Gonzalez
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