Stephen Colbert’s Hosting Return Hit With Copyright Notice From Paramount

by

Paramount appears to be starting a new dispute with an unnamed media company, and it looks like Michigan’s public access channels are caught in the middle.

The situation surrounding the recent cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, which is owned by Paramount, has become even more complicated. Now, Paramount is facing potential legal challenges. Several sources report that videos of Colbert guest-hosting Only in Monroe are being removed from the internet, seemingly because Paramount requested the takedowns using copyright claims.

The current situation is reminiscent of the 2010 controversy surrounding Conan O’Brien’s departure from The Tonight Show, where he received a $45 million payout. There’s speculation that, like O’Brien, the individual in question might be prevented from appearing on other television programs if they still have a contract with CBS. However, even if that’s true, Paramount could only pursue legal action against them for breaking that contract, and wouldn’t be able to legally request the removal of content from platforms like Only in Monroe.

Paramount’s Battle Against Stephen Colbert and The Late Show — Explained

Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show has faced constant media attention due to its host’s strong opposition to the Trump administration and the current FCC chair, Brendan Carr. While Skydance claimed the recent cancellation was due to financial issues, many believe the show’s critical stance towards these figures was the real reason.

In August 2025, a representative explained that the difficulty with continuing the show wasn’t about its quality – they were big fans of Colbert and the program itself. The real issue was a major downturn in advertising revenue, making it financially unsustainable to continue.

Honestly, the show’s creative choices in its last few months were met with a lot of criticism – fans were upset, and people in the industry were openly wondering what was going on. The numbers tell the story, though. While The Late Show was averaging around 2.7 million viewers in early 2026, the finale absolutely blew that away, pulling in a massive 6.55 million, according to Nielsen. It’s clear people tuned in to see how it all ended, even if they weren’t thrilled with the direction it had taken.

Just one day after the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired, a popular local talk show called Only in Monroe, based in Monroe, Michigan, gained attention. Importantly, Only in Monroe and its broadcasting station are completely independent from Paramount or Skydance, meaning any requests to remove their content online from outside sources would not be legally valid.

However, it’s still uncertain whether Paramount is actually behind these requests to remove content, or if someone else is acting on their behalf.

Read More

2026-05-24 21:45