CBS and its mother or father firm, Paramount World, have been making headlines for a couple of causes currently. Weeks in the past, the community introduced the cancellation of The Late Present with Stephen Colbert, whereas Paramount aimed to finalize its merger with Skydance. All of the whereas, execs have been engaged in a back-and-forth over the streaming rights to South Park. Whereas that state of affairs was resolved, one other one arose when the animated present skewered U.S. President Donald Trump. Colbert responded to the episode, too, and didn’t maintain again.
What Occurred On South Park And How Did Stephen Colbert React?
The delayed Season 27 premiere of South Park sees the eponymous city protesting the presence of Jesus in native colleges, resulting in the townspeople being sued by a caricature of President Trump for $5 billion. Amid the state of affairs, the Jesus character makes reference to a lawsuit involving Paramount (as the corporate simply settled a $16 million swimsuit with Trump in actual life). Jesus finally warns the townspeople about not struggling a destiny just like the one “Colbert” confronted at CBS, saying that “you guys bought to cease being silly.”
In the end, the city settles and begins to provide Trump-centric PSAs, with a type of advertisements taking the type of a deepfake of a nude Trump stumbling within the desert. On prime of that, the animated Trump character – who has POTUS’ precise head superimposed on him – can also be seen getting in mattress with Devil. The White Home finally responded to the episode, expressing vital disapproval of it. Stephen Colbert reacted to the episode on his present whereas speaking about Trump’s government order to de-regulate AI, with the host saying:
I fully agree with this one as a result of, if the federal government interfered with non-public AI, innovators at South Park wouldn’t be capable of make essential movies like this one. [Plays deepfake video]. It’s a message of hope. That is a vital message of hope for our instances, and you’ll test it out proper right here.
The “test it out proper right here” refers back to the QR code that was dropped on the backside of the display amid the published (a part of which was shared on YouTube). Mentioned code linked to a web site referred to as HeTrumpedUs.com, which featured the clip. All in all, this marks yet one more occasion during which the Late Present host has mocked the President and by extension, his employers.
What’s Been Going On With The Late Present Amid The Cancellation Drama?
The Late Present’s cancellation was introduced earlier this month, and Stephen Colbert himself addressed it whereas on air as nicely. CBS mentioned the present was to be canceled attributable to “monetary” causes. Nonetheless, some insiders and public figures have questioned the timing of the choice. The cancellation was introduced after Colbert criticized the community for settling the lawsuit with President Trump. Additionally, the swimsuit was considered by analysts because the final impediment stopping Paramount World from finalizing its merger with Skydance.
Since then, reactions from Jimmy Kimmel, Bowen Yang and extra have surfaced, with many celebrities expressing disappointment of the cancellation of the long-running discuss present. The collection’ OG host, David Letterman, responded in addition to did one in all his former producers, with each expressing skepticism over the true reasoning for the choice. Andy Cohen additionally believes the community is “cooked” on account of its resolution to conclude this system in Could 2026.
All of the whereas, Stephen Colbert hasn’t held again in chastising his employers or the U.S. president. It’s been alleged that execs aren’t pleased with Colbert’s feedback and are additionally involved about him presumably divulging unflattering details about the corporate. That apart, it’s mentioned that the Late Night time crew is disillusioned by the demise of the present. Because the 2025 TV schedule pushes on, the general public should wait and see whether or not Colbert and South Park proceed to take jabs at their employers and/or President Trump.