CBS has announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, just one day after the comedian publicly criticised CBS parent company Paramount Global for its $16 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by former President Donald Trump. The lawsuit accused CBS’ 60 Minutes of misleading editing in an October 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, now Trump’s political opponent.
Though legal experts dismissed the lawsuit as baseless, they pointed out that the settlement came after the Trump-led Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into CBS. At the same time, the FCC was reviewing Paramount’s $8.4 billion merger proposal with Skydance Media.
Despite Colbert’s show consistently topping late-night ratings, CBS cited “purely financial reasons” for its decision to cancel the program. The show is set to conclude in May 2026.
Throughout his 11-year run, Stephen Colbert became a prominent voice for LGBTQ+ advocacy through his distinct brand of political satire. Here are five key moments where he championed queer issues:
2014: Taking on Anti-Gay Politicians
Colbert challenged Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s stance against marriage equality. Interviewing legal giants Ted Olson and David Boies — the duo behind the Supreme Court challenge to Proposition 8 — Colbert sarcastically remarked:
“I believe we all must respect Walker’s privacy at this difficult time to be against gay marriage. This is a personal matter between him and his pollster. It is none of the public’s business what Walker decides in the privacy of his own governor’s mansion.”
This came a year before the U.S. Supreme Court legalised same-sex marriage nationwide.
2016: Mocking “Bathroom Weirdos”
Amid a nationwide wave of legislation targeting transgender people, Colbert lampooned lawmakers who fixated on restroom policies:
The ones obsessed with bathroom laws are “the true weirdos.”
Today, 19 U.S. states have laws restricting transgender people’s access to bathrooms — part of a broader conservative agenda aiming to erase trans identities from public life.
2017: Putin as a “Gay Clown”
When Russia banned depictions of President Vladimir Putin as a “gay clown”, Colbert didn’t hold back. He aired a cartoon of a shirtless Putin performing drag queen RuPaul’s “Supermodel (You Better Work)”. While some critiques followed, the skit skewered the absurdity of Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ censorship laws:
“There are so many images online, Russian news networks couldn’t even tell which ones were banned.”
2021: Pete Buttigieg Speaks Out
Colbert offered a national platform for LGBTQ+ leaders, including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who addressed the growing attacks on trans youth:
“These kids have the courage to be who they are… They just want to be accepted and go to the bathroom like everybody else… and live.”
Colbert’s show allowed Buttigieg to highlight the emotional and political toll of anti-trans legislation on young people.
2024: Calling Out Mark Robinson
In 2024, North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s gubernatorial campaign imploded amid controversy over bigoted online remarks. Robinson had a long history of homophobic and transphobic comments, once likening LGBTQ+ people to cow dung and demons.
Colbert lampooned Robinson after a CNN exposé revealed his participation in a pornographic online forum under the moniker “a Black Nazi”:
“Donald Trump might say he’s a very fine person, but would not rent an apartment to him.”
Colbert then added with his signature sarcasm:
“Mark, come on, stay focused. We’re not talking about Hitler right now. We’re debating if that delivery man was fairly compensated for the pizza he delivered with extra sausage.”
Robinson ultimately lost his race, due in part to the damaging media fallout.
