What Stephen Colbert’s cancellation says about Trump’s America
5/20/202630 min
The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs this week. It’s being called the end of an era, and some critics say the cancellation of the iconic late night talk show represents a broader attack on dissent during Donald Trump’s second administration. This week Washington correspondents Katie Simpson, Paul Hunter and Willy Lowry ask: What, if anything, does Colbert’s cancellation say about the state of free speech in Trump’s America?
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Speaker 20:29
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Stephen Colbert· Soundbite0:33
Before we start the show, I wanna let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending The Late Show in May. [audience boos] And yeah, I share your feelings. It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away.
Katie Simpson· Host1:03
That was Stephen Colbert back in July of last year. And now, 10 months later, the last episode of The Late Show is Thursday. It is the end of an era, it is controversial, and some would argue what is happening in this moment is representative of some broader challenges in America around free speech and dissent.
Willy Lowry· Host1:24
And the day after the cancellation was announced, Donald Trump seemingly reveled