After Stephen Colbert's viral talk show parody, CBS backs down from copyright action - NPR

Stephen Colbert attended The Hollywood Reporter's The Most Powerful People in New York Media celebration in New York earlier this month. After being ousted from his hosting role on The Late Show, Colbert hosted a local cable access show in Monroe, Michigan. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP hide caption CBS and parent company Paramount have backed away from efforts to limit reposting of Stephen Colbert's mock appearance as host of a Michigan public access show called "Only In Monroe." Colbert posted the hour-long parody a day after being ousted from his nearly 11-year-long run at "The Late Show." "It's been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV," Colbert joked during the program. "So I am grateful to be here on Monroe Community Media, before they also get acquired by Paramount." Television Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' ends with a swan song and a giant wormhole The deadpan appearance, which featured rockstar Jack White as an even more deadpan sidekick, quickly went viral. The program was reposted widely on Youtube and other social media platforms, leading CBS to initially fire off copyright protection notices. "Paramount is apparently trying to suppress copies of "Only in Monroe" from appearing on other social platforms by filing frivolous copyright notices," wrote long-time media reporter Matthew Keys Sunday on X. In a statement to NPR on Monday, CBS said that Colbert's "Only In Monroe" episode was "financed and produced by CBS studios" and was approved for distribution on only three Youtube channels: The Late Show, Monroe Community Media and Colbert's personal channel. "As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorized websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent such as Stephen Colbert," the statement said. "However, for this episode, have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review." CBS canceled Colbert's top-rated late-night show in July 2025, describing the move as a financial decision. But the cancellation also came as Paramount Global – which owns CBS – sought the Trump administration's approval for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. Colbert, a frequent and outspoken critic of President Trump, ended his run as host of "The Late Show" on Wednesday and Thursday with a star-studded cast that included Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. His appearance on "Only In Monroe" drew much of its humor from the stark contrast as Colbert stepped from one of the most influential posts in television to a humble local TV set. Guests talked about bigfoot sightings in Michigan and actor Jeff Daniels made sandwiches and presented the town's community calendar. At one point during the "Monroe" appearance, Colbert phoned Byron Allen, host of "Comics Unleashed," the show which CBS has dropped into the old Late Show slot. Allen answered and said, "Is Stephen Colbert the best or what?" NPR's Newsmakers Late night has enough political humor already, says host stepping into Colbert's slot During an interview with NPR's Newsmakers podcast, Allen told host Ailsa Chang that Colbert is "an American treasure" but said his show would steer clear of the political comedy that came to define the Late Show during the Colbert era. "Not everybody's gonna love me," Allen said. "But there is that one or two percent that would be like 'hell yeah, I'm rolling with you' and I learned that at an early age, and by the way, that simple lesson made me a billionaire." An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Stephen Colbert’s last appearance as host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was on Friday. In fact, the final show aired Thursday, May 21. The story also incorrectly said that Bruce Springsteen had appeared on the Thursday show. His appearance was on Wednesday.