CBS Replaces Colbert With 2 Byron Allen Slots After $16 Million Trump Settlement

11 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · May 20

Friday will bring two back-to-back half-hour episodes of Byron Allen’s apolitical “Comics Unleashed” to the slot CBS is vacating after ending Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show.”
CBS said the cancellation was a financial decision, but it followed Donald Trump’s 2024 lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview and Paramount’s $16 million settlement of that case.
Stephen Colbert had called the payment a “big fat bribe” because Paramount was then seeking Trump administration approval for its Skydance merger; CBS told him days later that the 2025-26 season would be his last.
The Trump administration later approved the merger, and critics say the new Paramount Skydance has since overhauled CBS to better align its output with the president’s agenda.

With a top satirical show replaced by apolitical content, what is the future for critical commentary on major networks?

How will the mega-merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery reshape the global media landscape for consumers?