The Writers Guild of America wants Paramount investigated for bribery after news of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” being canceled.
Variety reports the WGA said it has “significant concerns” that the move may have been a way to bribe president Donald Trump into sanctioning Paramount’s pending acquisition by Skydance.
“On July 2nd, Paramount agreed to settle a baseless lawsuit brought against 60 Minutes and CBS News by President Trump for $16 million,” the statement read. “On July 15, during a regular show of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert went on-air and called the settlement a ‘big fat bribe’ in exchange for a favorable decision on the proposed merger between Paramount and Skydance, a charge currently under investigation in California.
According to Variety, Colbert has been a critic of Trump, having referred to Paramount’s recent $16 million settlement with the president as “a big fat bribe.”
“Less than 48 hours later, on July 17, Paramount canceled ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ a show currently performing first in its timeslot, giving vague references to the program’s ‘financial performance’ as the only explanation. For 10 years, the show has been one of the most successful, beloved and profitable programs on CBS, entertaining an audience of millions on late night television, on streaming services and across social media.
“Given Paramount’s recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS News lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America has significant concerns that The Late Show’s cancelation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration as the company looks for merger approval.
“Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society. Paramount’s decision comes against a backdrop of relentless attacks on a free press by President Trump, through lawsuits against CBS and ABC, threatened litigation of media organizations with critical coverage, and the unconscionable defunding of PBS and NPR.”
Check out the full report and statement at Variety.
The network, which has aired Colbert’s show since 2015, said Thursday this version of “The Late Show” had an “historic run.”
“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘THE LATE SHOW’ franchise at that time,” CBS executives said in a joint statement. “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Colbert, who replaced David Letterman on the show, announced the news on his show Thursday.
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