“Certainly the budget doesn’t like him very much” — Ben Shapiro reacts to Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show getting cancelled

Political commentator Ben Shapiro recently reacted to the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, which was announced by CBS last week on July 17, 2025. As per CNN, CBS confirmed that the show will conclude in May next year due to financial issues.

In a video shared via his self-titled YouTube channel on July 22, 2025, Shapiro discussed the possible reasons behind The Late Show's cancellation and said:

“Maybe the current management doesn’t like Stephen Colbert. The audience doesn’t like him all that much. Certainly the budget doesn’t like him very much. And that’s why he’s gone. But members of the media like, ‘No, no. Our democracy is at risk unless Stephen Colbert can be paid $20 million a year to draw files.’”

Shapiro referred to the cancellation by saying that Colbert was fired ten months before the show ended. He added that those close to Stephen, including his family members, were worried for him since his show was not getting good ratings.

“His show loses $40 million a year. $40 million a year. And by the way it is also worth noting that David Ellison, who’s taking over the network, may not want a propagandist for wild left-wing crap on his network. And he has every rationale and capacity to simply say, ‘I don’t like Stephen Colbert and I don’t want him here,’” Ben stated.

In addition, Ben Shapiro compared Stephen to Charlamagne tha God, saying that the latter is easily earning $3 million a year, and questioned whether Colbert can accumulate a higher amount of $15 million with a “failing night show.” He further claimed that Stephen will earn only $5 million wherever he goes to work next, including MSNBC.

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Stephen Colbert addressed the end of The Late Show during a taping

As mentioned, the news of The Late Show’s cancellation was revealed by CBS last week. Notably, Stephen also addressed the announcement during a taping of the show on July 17, 2025, stating that the final season will air next year.

In a video of the taping shared through the show's official handle that same day, Stephen expressed gratitude to everyone who has been associated with the series over the years. He said that it had been a great journey for him for almost ten years, during which he appeared in front of the camera multiple times.

“I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away. And I do want to say … that the folks at CBS have been great partners. I’m so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home. And of course, I’m grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night,” Colbert said.

A source close to CBS claimed that Stephen Colbert’s show was no longer profitable due to the declining ad revenue, as per CNN. Additionally, a portion of employees at Paramount were laid off last month.

While speaking about the cancellation, CBS clarified in a statement that it was a “financial decision.” The network also praised Stephen Colbert for considering CBS like his home and continued:

“Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”

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The Late Show originally aired in 2015 and ran for a total of ten seasons. Apart from this, Stephen Colbert has appeared on several other popular shows over the years, including Saturday Night Live, The Office, The Simpsons, and more.

Edited by Shubham Soni