The White House on Tuesday denied President Donald Trump had any role in CBS’ decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” after the former late-night host dodged a question about Trump following his Emmy win in Los Angeles and defended the state of free speech.
Colbert’s former program won Outstanding Variety Series at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards Monday, months after “The Late Show” aired its final episode in May.
When asked after the ceremony about free speech and the future of late-night television, Colbert said he remained optimistic about the medium.
“If you can’t say something because you go to jail, that is a violation of free speech,” Colbert said. “I think that late night is just as funny and just as vital as it ever has been, and I love watching Jimmy and Jimmy and John and John and Seth and everybody else. And I think I hope it goes on for a long time because you get to work with people like this, and that’s the greatest gift.”
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White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital the administration had nothing to do with the network’s decision.
“Neither President Trump nor anyone else in the Administration had anything to do with this,” Ingle said, in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital. “The reality is Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck with no talent, which is exactly why CBS canceled his show and is booting him off the airwaves.”
When CNN correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister asked Colbert directly whether he believed his show had been canceled because of Trump, the comedian appeared to repeatedly deflect rather than answer the question.
Variety reported that the exchange came during a post-Emmys interview with Wagmeister and Variety co-president and co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh.
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“What… Gayle, that’s a beautiful dress,” Colbert said. After the reporter repeated the question, Colbert continued the bit. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m deaf on this ear. What did you… what did you say?” Colbert said.
When they again attempted to ask whether Trump was responsible for the cancellation, Colbert deflected once more. “You wanted to know who the most important member of my staff was? It’s me,” Colbert said.
Media Research Center President David Bozell told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Colbert’s refusal to address the Trump question stood in contrast to the speculation surrounding the cancellation and pointed to CBS’ financial rationale for ending the show.
“Colbert suddenly does not want to talk about Trump? That’s rich. Obviously, Trump did not cancel his show,” he said. “CBS looked at the audience, looked at the bill, and decided the joke had run long enough.”
CBS announced in July 2025 that it would end “The Late Show” franchise after Colbert’s 25-26 season, calling the move “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” The network said the decision was unrelated to the show’s performance, content or other matters involving then-parent company Paramount.
The announcement came three days after Colbert attacked Paramount over its $16 million settlement with Trump involving a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Colbert characterized the agreement as a payoff connected to Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance Media.
“I believe this kind of complicated financial sentiment with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles. It’s ‘big fat bribe,’ because it all comes as Paramount’s owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance!” Colbert said at the time.
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Fox News Digital reported that Colbert’s manager, James Dixon, had been informed June 27 that CBS intended to end the show, before Paramount announced the Trump settlement and more than two weeks before Colbert publicly attacked the agreement. “The Late Show” had been losing roughly $40 million annually.
The FCC approved Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance one week after CBS announced the cancellation. The transaction later closed in August 2025.
Trump continued criticizing Colbert after the program’s May finale, calling the former CBS host talentless and celebrating his departure from late-night television.
Fox News Digital reached out to CBS-Paramount for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
