Wow. Our cultural landscape is being bulldozed right now and I’m afraid to ask what it’s going to look like in 2026. Stephen Colbert’s contract will not be renewed and his show is purportedly going off the air as well. That last part baffles me because late-night television is a genre that is beloved, not to mention lucrative. I would guess that for now the smokescreen is, “Oh well, we’re cancelling the show for ‘financial reasons’ and it has nothing to do with the host.'” Bullshit. It has everything to do with the host speaking his mind and echoing our voices in so doing.
But it gets stranger still. We may not have Jimmy Kimmel around either. The loss of Colbert is bad enough but Kimmel is leaving? That could be. Huffington Post:
Colbert and Kimmel may be rivals on the air, but are friends off it. Unlike the frosty relationship between legendary late-night hosts David Letterman and Jay Leno, Kimmel and Colbert have publicly made nice and even appeared on each other’s shows.
Last year, Colbert slammed President Donald Trump for attacking Kimmel.
“You keep my friend Jimmy Kimmel’s name out of your weird little wet mouth, OK?” Colbert said.
The two also did a bit together during the 2019 Emmy Awards.
And during the 2023 writers strike, they and three other hosts teamed up to launch a podcast together, with proceeds going to staffers unable to work due to the stoppage.
Colbert’s cancellation came days after he mocked Paramount, which owns CBS, for its $16 million settlement with Trump in a lawsuit many considered meritless. That settlement comes as Paramount attempts a merger with Skydance Media, which requires Federal Communications Commission approval to proceed.
“The Late Show” will run through next May. Kimmel’s contract ends next year, and he’s publicly indicated that he might not be back, either.
“I think this is my final contract,” Kimmel told the Los Angeles Times in 2024.
This is the first I’ve heard of Kimmel not planning on coming back. The why of that would be interesting to know.
So who are we going to see in Kimmel’s place if he leaves? Greg Gutfeld? Kimmel took a shot at CBS, putting on his Instagram page the comment, “Fuck you and all your Sheldons, CBS.”
I’m getting a real sinking feeling in my stomach over this. If our cultural icons are dropping like flies, that is not a good thing.
They’re cleansing the airwaves and streaming platforms to take them over with state-run propaganda channels a la N Korea & Russia. They’re starting with individuals and shows and moving up to entire networks.
They attack respected newspapers then tank the law firms that might represent any people associated with the shows & the networks. Everyone knows “the first step in criming is let’s kill all the lawyers”. Hope Shakespeare doesn’t mind the paraphrasing.,
Trump kills MainStream Media.
No news at ten.