Stephen Colbert deserved better

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was recently cancelled and is having its last season right now. It was one of the highest rated talk shows and had an average viewer base of 2.8 million.

“The Late Show” was beloved for its sense of humor and excellent pacing. Each episode starts off with a mock news sequence where they go through humorous headlines relating to the current social or political climate. Then it consists of celebrity interviews, sketch comedy, and musical performances.

It was a very accomplished show, not only in ratings but also with six Emmy awards and enough popularity to interview the likes of Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Along with having the opportunity to live broadcast political events.

It is debated why the show is being canceled. CBS has stated it’s due to a loss of revenue from the show. However, many people believe that Trump got the show canceled. In my opinion, it is probably not because of the loss of revenue. 

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has stated that the idea that the show was losing $40 million was “beyond nonsensical” because it only accounted for advertising revenue. Although Kimmel is likely being backed into a corner here, as Trump said, “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”

Ever since the cancellation of the show, each episode has been more and more critical of Trump, often using crude humor to poke fun at him. This has been praised as Colbert standing up for himself, although I preferred the earlier episodes, as to me, it comes off as quite spiteful.

Overall, I think this is a turn for the worse, and is not going to be the only major cancellation incoming. It is sad to see such a beloved show be cancelled. I remember watching it with my father on weekends. I always loved the initial news segment; it was probably my favorite piece of comedy ever, successive jokes after each other really do a lot.