Overview

• The FCC voted 2–1 to approve Skydance Media’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global, securing written commitments to appoint an ombudsman to handle bias complaints and ensure diverse viewpoints in programming.
• Commissioner Anna Gomez warned that imposing editorial controls could give the government leverage over newsrooms, while Chairman Brendan Carr declined to say if President Trump influenced Colbert’s cancellation, describing it as a business decision.
• CBS executives point to a 40 percent decline in ad revenue since 2018 and annual losses of about $40 million to justify ending The Late Show in May 2026.
• Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians and high-profile figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders have called the cancellation censorship and urged investigations into potential retaliation over Colbert’s criticism of President Trump.
• Stephen Colbert has intensified his on-air monologues, vowing to go ‘gloves off’ during his remaining tenure and challenging the network’s financial rationale on national television.