Colbert Canceled: Is Late-Night Comedy Facing a Reckoning?

Stephen Colbert has officially left the CBS stage, with reports claiming he’s been canceled due to plummeting viewership and a shift in network ownership. If Donald Trump is celebrating, you know it’s got to be interesting! Colbert, once a late-night powerhouse, has seen his audience shrink to just above two million, largely attributed to his anti-Trump rhetoric that didn’t sit well with many Americans. It seems that “woke on parade” might not be the best strategy for late-night comedy after all.

As CBS transitions to new ownership with Skydance Media, the big question lingers: is this the beginning of the end for political comedy? With more viewers tuning out traditional programming, any late-night show that can’t pivot may find itself in a real pickle. Meanwhile, Colbert’s legacy leaves plenty of room for debates—was he great for comedy, or did he become too one-note?

This raises the larger question around political commentary in comedy. Should late-night hosts lean into political issues, or keep things light and funny? After all, most of us just want to kick back and laugh, not get a side order of political anxiety with our nightly dose of humor. So what do you think: Is it time for late-night comedy to lighten up or double down on politics?

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