Dem. Sen. Elizabeth Warren pens Steven Colbert conspiracy theory for Variety…but omits important fact

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has peddled a scathing conspiracy theory claiming that CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s late night show to appease President Donald Trump.

The Democrat published an op-ed Wednesday in Variety Magazine alleging Trump bullied CBS parent company Paramount into cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – but voters were left unamused by her analysis.

Warren cited how Trump hit CBS with a lawsuit that the firm branded ‘meritless’ during the 2024 election, but quickly reached a $16million settlement once he took office.

She also highlighted how Colbert called the settlement a ‘big, fat bribe’ and saw his show canceled just three days later. 

‘Was it a coincidence that CBS canceled Colbert just three days after he spoke out? Are we sure that this wasn’t part of a wink-wink deal between the president and a giant corporation that needed something from his administration?’ she wrote.

She also pointed to how Trump celebrated the show’s cancelation, adding: ‘If CBS made this decision for “purely financial” reasons, why the timing? And why did Trump say “I hope I played a major part in” getting Colbert fired?’

But her scornful opinion piece – which fails to address the embarrassing fact that the show was losing $40million each year – was not well-received by Americans who are now questioning ‘why are you so concerned about Stephen Colbert?’

Warren has tweeted about the show’s axing at least four times, which voters allege should be the least of her worries.

‘This is what your senator is spending time on. Really? Primary her,’ one furious X user urged.

‘You fight harder for illegal aliens and millionaire celebrities than you do your constituents. Why is that Liz?’ another wrote.

‘I am so glad you are focused on what will really help people in need,’ one echoed. 

Another added: ‘This just implicates you further. Congrats.’ 

‘Only if you put this kind of effort into your constituents. But a little bit of connection with people, you would know that late night TV is not something people do anymore. People are more into streaming platforms these days,’ one user said.

Others branded her a ‘buffoon’ and called her out for not acknowledging the financial turmoil the show was facing.

‘We know you’re not too business savvy so let’s try it slowly. $40M losses per year is not good for business,’ one X user wrote.

‘When a politician can’t figure out why a business would dump an activity that loses $40million a year, you understand why our government is $36trillion in debt,’ another criticized. 

Others called for her removal, penning tweets like: ‘Hopefully you will be canceled In your next election.’ 

Warren alleges Paramount settled the lawsuit and axed the talk show to ensure its merger with Skydance, a deal she cites to be ‘worth $8billion’ and ‘can only go through if it’s approved by the Trump administration’.

‘Instead of fighting Trump on his “meritless” lawsuit, Paramount settled, handing to Trump’s presidential library. This looks like bribery in plain sight, and that’s exactly what Stephen Colbert said on his show,’ she wrote.

The senator further claimed the ‘Paramount payoff’ – as she calls it – demonstrates the president’s ‘corrupt pattern’ of ‘exploiting’ his office to ‘profit personally’ and ‘punish his perceived enemies’.

She highlighted how ABC News provided $15million to Trump’s presidential library to settle ‘another questionable defamation lawsuit’.

Warren also claimed that Trump told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg he would only be ‘brought in the tent’ of his administration if he settled a separate lawsuit.

Zuckerberg ultimately contributed $22million to Trump’s library and ended Meta’s fact-checking program, the senator said.

She argued ‘Trump is running the same play again’ with Paramount and will continue to do so with other media outlets that question him.

‘The pattern is the same: Trump threatens to bring down the weight of the federal government on a single institution, and, too often, the targets feel they have no option but to bow down to an all-powerful Trump,’ she wrote.

But she failed to acknowledge a recent report revealing The Late Show costs $100million a year to produce, with Colbert, 61, getting paid between $15million and $20 million annually to host. 

The Late Show’s cancelation was announced last Thursday. Colbert, who will broadcast his final show in May 2026, was reportedly first informed his show was on the chopping block around July 4.

Paramount Co-CEO George Cheeks made the decision, Puck journalist Matthew Belloni revealed last week.

Belloni outlined Colbert’s astonishing lack of profitability just hours after CNN first broke the news that the show was canceled because it was in the red.

Late night shows have slumped in profitability in recent years as viewers shun the format in favor of streaming services or watching content on their phones. 

Colbert beats ABC and NBC rivals Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon in the ratings, but that still wasn’t enough to save him.

Advertiser revenue has slumped sharply even in the last three years, Puck reported, making it harder to pull Colbert’s show out of the red. 

The show’s axing delighted Trump, who posted about it on his TruthSocial network. 

All three major late night hosts – Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon – have become notorious for their regular rants about Trump, which many viewers have complained are boring and off-putting. 

But Belloni said he didn’t believe the famously anti-MAGA Colbert was axed to appease Donald Trump, who recently won a $15million payout from CBS after suing them over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris he said was deceptively edited. 

Colbert was reported to be ‘not angry, actually’ about his cancelation, Puck reported.