NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- The Writers Guild of America asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate CBS’s decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying the network’s parent company may have given in to political pressure.
Paramount Global, the owner of CBS, is trying to merge with Skydance Media and needs government approval for the deal. Earlier this month, CBS paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump alleging media bias at the network.
The network’s decision to cancel the show, announced Thursday, came two days after Colbert criticized the settlement on the air, calling it a “big fat bribe,” the guild said in a statement Friday. The union represents film and TV scribes, including those at the Late Show.
“Cancellations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society,” the union said.
Spokespeople for CBS and Attorney General James didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement Thursday, CBS said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” It added: “It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
--With assistance from Erik Larson.
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