Piers Morgan alleges this is why Stephen Colbert's show got "canned," calls late-night hosts "hyper-partisan activist hacks" for Democrats

Piers Morgan has weighed in on the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's Late Show. During the July 17 taping, Colbert said the show would end after season 10, suggesting political reasons, while the network cited financial concerns.

On July 27, Morgan posted on X, sharing a New York Post article about why Colbert's show was "canned." The post noted that Stephen Colbert's show hosted 176 "left-leaning" guests in contrast to "just one Republican" since 2022. Sharing this article cover, Piers Morgan wrote,

"This is so damning. Most of America’s biggest late-night hosts have become nothing more than hyper-partisan activist hacks for the Democrats—a party that’s rarely been more unpopular. No wonder Colbert got canned. More will follow."

Variety reported on Morgan's comment on "most of America’s biggest late-night hosts" and posted it on X. Piers Morgan reacted to the outlet's tweet and replied,

"UPDATE: Just watched a drooling @60Minutes segment tonight about John Oliver who was proud of telling his viewers not to vote for Trump at last election. He told them to vote for Kamala Harris instead. That’s not comedy, it’s partisan political activism."

When Morgan called out Oliver for "partisanship," entrepreneur Mike Nellis commented back and alleged that Morgan also supported Trump and shared a screenshot of Morgan's congratulatory post to Trump.

Nellis commented that Oliver has "the same right" to support Haris as Morgan had to support Trump. Morgan defended the allegation with a reply in which he wrote,

"I never told Americans how to vote… I just predicted Trump would win those elections."

During an interview with David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, former Tonight Show host Jay Leno expressed concerns about the current state of late-night television. He also called out late-night TV hosts and alleged that these hosts "alienate" their audiences with political leanings. Piers Morgan agreed with Leno in his post on X.

"He’s so right," Morgan wrote.

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What led to the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show?

On July 17, Stephen Colbert made a shocking announcement, revealing that The Late Show will end after the 2025-26 season. During the taping, Colbert said that he was "deeply grateful" to work with his team. Colbert, who replaced David Letterman in 2015, called his theater "home."

The CBS network also released a statement and clarified that the decision to discontinue was "purely financial" and said it was not related to Colbert's performance or content.

"[It was] purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," the statement said.

The statement also reflected admiration for Stephen Colbert's work.

"Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas," the statement read.

The network also confirmed that Stephen is not being replaced, but the show is being discontinued as a whole.

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Although the network has cited financial reasons, the decision came days after Stephen Colbert criticized the CBS parent company, Paramount, for a $16 million settlement with President Trump. Meanwhile, the parent company of the network needs approval from the Trump administration for a merger with entertainment company Skydance.

Edited by Divya Singh