Overview

• During an August 6 press conference, Trump labeled Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel as “talentless” and predicted their shows would be canceled next.
• No formal cancellations for Fallon or Kimmel have been announced despite CBS reporting $40–50 million in annual losses on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show.
• Paramount Global paid Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit two weeks before winning FCC approval for its $8 billion merger with Skydance under new editorial-oversight conditions.
• Free-speech advocates, fellow comedians and some senators are calling for investigations into whether Colbert’s criticism of the Trump settlement influenced CBS’s financial rationale.
• Trump’s public threats have intensified debate over presidential influence on media content and the intersection of corporate finance, regulatory approval and editorial independence.