Stephen Colbert's fellow late-night hosts made surprise cameo appearances in last night's episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to show their solidarity following the cancellation news.
Last week, we learned the unfortunate news that CBS has decided to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, bringing its run to an end in May next year. Since then, fans and celebrities have shown their support for Colbert and expressed frustration with the network's decision, as it is also seen as potentially politically motivated.
How Did the Top Late Night Hosts Show Their Support for Stephen Colbert?
Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, and Andy Cohen showed up in last night's episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in support of the host following the news of the cancellation.
They participated in a segment that parodied the viral Coldplay Jumbotron moment, where Lin-Manuel Miranda and "Weird Al" Yankovic also appeared to perform their version of the band's iconic hit, "Viva La Vida."
As the two performed the song, the camera zoomed in on the crowd and showed Stewart, Fallon, Meyers, Oliver, Cohen, Anderson Cooper, Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog watching in the audience. Stewart and Oliver gave a middle finger to the camera while Fallon and Meyers were drinking beers.
The last "celebrity" that they showed the crowd is an animated Donald Trump hugging the Paramount logo, parodying Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot in the viral moment.
The segment ended with Colbert stopping Miranda and Yankovic from performing the song after he received a corporate letter stating that it had been canceled.
Jimmy Kimmel is the only late-night host who didn't appear in the segment since he is based in Los Angeles and is currently on vacation. However he showed his support last week when the cancellation was announced.
Why Did CBS Cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert?
In their announcement, CBS revealed that the decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night."
With the speculations that the cancellation is politically motivated, the network clarified that it was "not related in any way to the show's performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount."
There are no plans to hire a new host to take over, effectively ending The Late Show franchise when Colbert airs his final episode in May next year.
The news of the cancellation has sparked various reactions among fans, entertainment figures, and politicians. Most of them condemn CBS's decision and speculate that it may be related to the pending Skydance-Paramount merger, which still requires government approval.
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