PoliticsConan O'Brien Makes Eerie Prediction About Future of Late-Night Under Donald Trump Following 'Colbert' Cancelation
The axing of 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' came shortly after the host criticized CBS' parent company for settling a lawsuit with Donald Trump.
March 9 2026, Published 6:19 p.m. ET
Conan O'Brien is convinced late-night television is about to become a thing of the past due to the current White House administration.
"I’m of the mind that yes, these shows are going away and will become something else," the legendary host said in an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter on March 9. "But I don’t like when other malign forces intervene, because they’re trying to curry favor. That pisses me off."
MAGA-friendly Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison — who purchased CBS last summer — is likely one of the "malign forces" O'Brien was referencing.
Stephen Colbert criticized Donald Trump's lawsuit against Paramount.
Some feel CBS News has become less critical of President Donald Trump since Skydance began pursing CBS, which happened around the same time The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was canceled.
Stephen Colbert, an outspoken critic of the POTUS, announced last July that CBS had made the decision to end the long-running show in May 2026.
The move came shortly after the comedian, 61, criticized parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump over a 60 Minutes story.
Does Stephen Colbert Think Donald Trump Had His Show Canceled?
The Emmy-winning host didn't deny that the show was axed for political reasons.
The Emmy-winning host, who called the settlement "a big, fat bribe," told GQ in November 2025 that he gets why people think the show was axed for political reasons.
"I’m not going to say who made that decision, because I don’t know; no one’s ever going to tell us — decided to cut a check for $16 million to the president of the United States over a lawsuit that their own lawyers, Paramount’s own lawyers, said is completely without merit," he told the outlet.
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Former 'Late Show' host David Letterman called the network's decision 'gutless.'
The talk show host added, "And it is self-evident that that is damaging to the reputation of the network, the corporation, and the news division. So it is unclear to me why anyone would do that other than to curry favor with a single individual."
CBS reportedly told Colbert the cancellation was "purely a financial decision."
His predecessor, David Letterman — who hosted the CBS program for 22 years — slammed the network’s choice, calling it "gutless."
Jimmy Kimmel's Show Was Also Suspended for Political Reasons
'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' faced suspension last fall after the host made remarks about Charlie Kirk's death.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended for six days last September due to pressure from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, whom Trump appointed.
Carr threatened to revoke ABC’s license over Jimmy Kimmel’s material after the comedian made "insensitive" jokes about late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, suggesting the MAGA movement planned to use Kirk's murder for political gain.
