“I don’t think Trump cares” — Brett Cooper doesn’t believe that Stephen Colbert’s show cancellation is linked to the President

Days after CBS confirmed the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Brett Cooper rejected the "left-wing" narrative that the decision stemmed from Colbert's criticism of the network's settlement with President Donald Trump.

For those unfamiliar, President Trump filed a $10 million lawsuit against CBS News in October 2024, accusing the network of deceptively editing a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris to "tip the scales in favor of the Democratic party," per the BBC.

After months of legal back-and-forth, CBS's parent company, Paramount, settled the dispute with Trump for $16 million on July 3. Just days later, during his July 14 monologue on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert slammed the network, calling the deal a "big, fat bribe."

"I am offended. I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help," Colbert stated.

A few weeks later, Colbert announced that CBS would be ending his show in 2026 after 10 seasons, prompting speculation among viewers about whether the cancellation was connected to his public criticism of both the network and the U.S. President.

Responding to this speculation, Brett Cooper stated in the July 21 episode of The Brett Cooper Show that Trump likely didn't care about Colbert's comments.

"Stephen Colbert is not that big of a deal. Like, I don't think Trump cares. He might tweet about him on Truth Social, but I really don't think that is like the thorn in his side. It is not that personal. Like it's really not that big of a deal," Cooper stated.

Meanwhile, in a statement to Variety published on July 17, CBS executives clarified that the show's cancellation was a purely financial decision, made "against a challenging backdrop in late night."

"We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television. This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," the statement read.

Also read: What did Trump say about CBS canceling The Late Show? Host Stephen Colbert hits back at the President

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"His show was simply not profitable" — Brett Cooper on the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Elsewhere in the video, Brett Cooper rejected the notion that Stephen Colbert's show was canceled due to Colbert's criticism of Donald Trump, insisting that his "mild joke" doesn't hold much significance.

"Like I don't think his joke carries that much weight. I don't think he as an individual has that much power. I literally think that his show was simply not profitable," Cooper stated.

She also argued that if the issue was personal regarding Stephen Colbert, the network would have fired him and continued the show. Instead, she noted, CBS is canceling the entire Late Show franchise, not just replacing Steven.

"It's not like they're going to get rid of Colbert and bring in a new late-night host, which often happens. It's like, 'Hey, this person's contract is over. Bring in a new person.' You had [David Letterman], then you switch in other people. Whatever it is, that's not happening. They're cancelling the Late Late show."

The American conservative political commentator concluded by reiterating that she believes the cancellation wasn't due to personal reasons but rather part of a larger shift in the media industry.

"And so again, this is not about Trump, in my opinion. It's not about Colbert making a joke. I literally just think it's that media is going in a new direction, and these legacy media companies, everybody that you see on cable, they are frantically having to figure out how to adapt. And that is a good thing," Cooper said.

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After taking over as host of The Late Show following David Letterman's departure in September 2015, Stephen Colbert's tenure will come to an end, with the final episodes scheduled to air during the 2025-2026 TV season, per People Magazine.

Edited by Shubham Soni