50,000 signatures reached
To: CBS, Paramount Global
Reverse Your Decision and Keep Colbert on Air!
CBS announced it is cancelling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” just days after Stephen Colbert criticized on air the recent settlement between President Donald Trump and Paramount Global—CBS’s parent company—calling it a “big, fat bribe.”
This cancellation is deeply suspect: More than 2 million viewers tune in every night, making it the top-rated late night show on air. And Colbert has been hosting this show for nearly a decade.
We need Colbert’s bold and frank commentary now as much as ever, and we need to stop corporations like CBS from cowing to political intimidation of this administration. Add your name to the petition to demand they reverse their decision and keep Colbert on air!
Why is this important?
Trump sued Paramount Global for $20 billion in damages for their 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris—yet another example of Trump trying to intimidate media outlets that report on information he disagrees with. At the beginning of July, CBS announced they settled for $16 million, sending a disturbing message to independent media.
During his Monday segment, Colbert spoke vocally against the settlement, calling it a bribe and stating: “This all comes as Paramount’s owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance.”
And Trump celebrated the announcement, stating on Truth Social, “I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired.”
Colbert has been hosting the show since 2015, and he’s been a frequent critic of Trump. Even the implication that prominent political media figures like him are being silenced or punished for their commentary against the government could have a chilling ripple effect when it comes to freedom of speech. This is a moment when we need strong voices reaching viewers across the nation and when we need institutions—including corporations—holding the line against interference from an increasingly abusing and corrupt federal government.
Members of Congress, including Sen. Adam Schiff and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have speculated whether Colbert’s criticism of CBS’s settlement with Trump influenced the network’s decision.
CBS has forgotten who it answers to: its viewers. And viewers want Colbert to stay on air. Add your name to the petition to put the public pressure on CBS to keep “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”