Tony Dokoupil shared his thoughts on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert‘s cancellation, and fans have mixed feelings about his perspective.
During the Tuesday, July 22, episode of CBS Mornings, Dokoupil and his cohosts reacted to Jon Stewart suggesting that Paramount canceled The Late Show to appease President Donald Trump amid their merger with Skydance Media. Earlier this month, the media company reached a $16 million settlement with Trump after he accused 60 Minutes of heavily editing a 2024 interview featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Upon announcing the cancellation of The Late Show on July 17, CBS claimed that the decision was purely financial and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
On Tuesday, Dokoupil said he understood Stewart’s “emotional” reaction to the cancellation drama, but went on to add, “He’s not right that the merger, the $8 billion, is based on reruns of a comedy show, no. People are buying the movies and the sitcoms and the sports. They’re not based on reruns of us either, so I think he’s wrong about that.”
Dokoupil continued, “And he also acknowledged that these late-night shows are what he called, like, ‘a Blockbuster kiosk inside a Tower Record.’ So, the business is broken. And what no one seems to acknowledge is the politics also changed. The business changed, and so did the politics, and it got way more one-sided than anything Johnny Carson was ever doing. I think we should reflect on those changes, as well. It’s been a big shift culturally in that regard, also.”
WATCH: ‘CBS Mornings’ co-host Tony Dokoupil brings a much-needed reality check to the table of liberal journalists fawning over ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’. His co-hosts dismissed all this, proving his point:
“I don’t have an MBA, but I don’t — [Jon Stewart] is not… pic.twitter.com/qR5R74g2vY
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 22, 2025
Viewers took to social media to react to Dokoupil’s comments, with some agreeing with Dokoupil’s assessment that the late-night landscape has become too political. “I watched Johnny Carson for years when I was young. I can’t tell you any political position that he held,” one X user said of the late TV personality.
“Simple truth is that when your program willingly excludes half of the country, you are limiting your revenue potential. Who woulda thunk it?” another user posted, while someone else shared, “CBS Mornings is the pits, but that was a refreshing 45 seconds of reason.”
“Trying to be honest is difficult on CBS ….Good job Tony Dokoupil ..CBS is Fake News..” a different user added. “Amazing how nobody there except Dokoupil is willing to consider the ultra left wing – political bent of the show contributed to audience fragmentation,” read another poster.
Others disagreed with Dokoupi. “What a total coward. Johnny Carson’s show would never survive today, he’s right, times have changed and people have to speak truth to power,” one X user shared. Another stated, “Tony Dokoupil needs to realize that few people would miss him if they removed his seat from the CBS Mornings’ table.”
“CBS Mornings’ Tony Dokoupil has no sympathy for his coworker Stephen Colbert’s cancellation. Dang, even his own network knows how awful his show is,” read another post. A separate X post claimed that Dokoupil’s comments were “not an accurate take” on the matter.
Stephen Colbert, for his part, clapped back at Trump celebrating his show’s cancellation on the Monday, July 21, episode of The Late Show. “How dare you, sir?” Colbert responded at the top. Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go f**k yourself!” he quipped.
CBS Mornings, Weekdays, 7a/6c, CBS