CBS Replaces Stephen Colbert With Byron Allen as Skydance's $111 Billion Media Push Draws Scrutiny
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · May 22
CBS Replaces Stephen Colbert With Byron Allen as Skydance's $111 Billion Media Push Draws Scrutiny
7 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · May 22
CBS used a commercial break during Stephen Colbert’s final episode on May 21 to promote “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen,” set to take the 11:35 p.m. slot from May 22.
The abrupt handoff came after Colbert’s show was canceled shortly after he said CBS had paid Donald Trump a “big fat bribe” in a $16 million lawsuit settlement tied to Paramount-Skydance’s FCC-sensitive merger process.
Colbert, 62, closed his final show with a largely appreciative tone, though his penultimate episode featured Bruce Springsteen accusing Larry and David Ellison of trying to appease Trump.
Pressure on Paramount-Skydance is widening beyond late-night TV: Freedom of the Press Foundation and Reporters Without Borders sued in early May, seeking internal documents over alleged efforts to curry favor with the White House.
The dispute lands as the Ellisons expand their media ambitions, with Paramount’s $111 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery emerging after Netflix dropped its own offer in February.
As media giants merge, is independent commentary on broadcast television becoming a thing of the past?
How will legal battles over media consolidation ultimately impact the news and shows available to the public?