{"id":2197046,"date":"2025-12-12T23:13:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T23:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2197046"},"modified":"2025-12-12T23:13:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T23:13:27","slug":"stephen-colbert-jokes-paramount-can-afford-show-amid-warner-bros-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/stephen-colbert-jokes-paramount-can-afford-show-amid-warner-bros-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Colbert jokes Paramount can afford show amid Warner Bros bid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\"><media-video video-id=\"87714070007\" title=\"Taylor Swift's favorite songs in her catalog revealed on Colbert\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/11\/USAT\/87714081007-20251211-vpc-taylor-swift-appears-on-the-late-show-thumb-00-00-07-13-still-004.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" placement=\"snow-video-story-priority\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>Taylor Swift&#8217;s favorite songs in her catalog revealed on Colbert<\/p>\n<p>Taylor Swift made her first appearance on &#8220;The Late Show&#8221; with Stephen Colbert. She was the only guest of the night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-video><\/div>\n<p>For <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/12\/11\/taylor-swift-talks-fame-touring-stephen-colbert-late-show-cbs\/87688766007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/12\/11\/taylor-swift-talks-fame-touring-stephen-colbert-late-show-cbs\/87688766007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stephen Colbert<\/a>, the numbers aren&#8217;t adding up.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/12\/11\/taylor-swift-dress-colbert\/87715065007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/12\/11\/taylor-swift-dress-colbert\/87715065007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The &#8220;Late Show&#8221; host,<\/a> whose <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/22\/stephen-colbert-mustache-theory\/85325856007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/22\/stephen-colbert-mustache-theory\/85325856007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">program was canceled<\/a> by Paramount earlier this year,<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/GQLEgDr3ss8\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/GQLEgDr3ss8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> took Tuesday night&#8217;s monologue<\/a> to wonder aloud about the state of the company&#8217;s finances amid <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/08\/paramount-hostile-bid-warner-bros-netflix-fight-explained\/87667822007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/08\/paramount-hostile-bid-warner-bros-netflix-fight-explained\/87667822007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a $108 billion offer<\/a> from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/08\/paramount-skydance-hostile-takeover-bid-warner-bros-discovery\/87668084007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/08\/paramount-skydance-hostile-takeover-bid-warner-bros-discovery\/87668084007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CEO David Ellison to buy Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a>. When Paramount, the parent company of CBS which airs the &#8220;Late Show,&#8221; <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/25\/david-letterman-speaks-out-late-show-canceled-stephen-colbert\/85382627007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/25\/david-letterman-speaks-out-late-show-canceled-stephen-colbert\/85382627007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">canceled the program<\/a> earlier this year, the entertainment giant cited financial concerns.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/09\/09\/stephen-colbert-show-10-year-anniversary-cancellation-president\/86044726007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/09\/09\/stephen-colbert-show-10-year-anniversary-cancellation-president\/86044726007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Colbert, however<\/a>, wondered how that could be true, as this month, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/12\/05\/netflix-warner-bros-merger-deal-streaming-cable\/87621300007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/12\/05\/netflix-warner-bros-merger-deal-streaming-cable\/87621300007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Paramount offered<\/a> a sizable <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/12\/10\/donald-trump-cnn-warner-bros-netflix-paramount-skydance\/87706789007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/12\/10\/donald-trump-cnn-warner-bros-netflix-paramount-skydance\/87706789007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hostile bid for Warner Bros.<\/a> after the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/05\/netflix-to-buy-warner-bros-explained\/87620257007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/05\/netflix-to-buy-warner-bros-explained\/87620257007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">company agreed to a deal with Netflix<\/a>. The Netflix deal is valued at $82.7 billion, or $27.75 per share of WBD common stock, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/graphics\/2025\/12\/05\/netflix-buying-warner-bros\/87621701007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/graphics\/2025\/12\/05\/netflix-buying-warner-bros\/87621701007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">while Paramount&#8217;s offer<\/a> rang in at $30 per share, pushing the total over $108 billion.<\/p>\n<p><media-gallery-promo asset-id=\"73277921007\" class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">The fight for Warner Bros. <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/08\/paramount-hostile-bid-warner-bros-netflix-fight-explained\/87667822007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">gets hostile. Consumers have a lot to lose.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Wow. I gotta say, if my company&#8217;s got that kind of green, I&#8217;m sure they can afford to un-cancel one of their best shows,&#8221; <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/2025\/07\/18\/stephen-colbert-late-show-ending-may-2026\/85279909007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/2025\/07\/18\/stephen-colbert-late-show-ending-may-2026\/85279909007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Colbert<\/a> quipped during a Dec. 9 broadcast. &#8220;CBS, you heard the people \u2014\u00a0bring back\u00a0&#8216;The Equalizer.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/finance\/hollywood-hungry-gulf-states-bankroll-paramounts-warner-bros-bid-2025-12-09\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/finance\/hollywood-hungry-gulf-states-bankroll-paramounts-warner-bros-bid-2025-12-09\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Noting reports that chunks of Paramount&#8217;s<\/a> offer come from foreign wealth funds, Colbert added: &#8220;And when the dictator of Saudi Arabia gives you billions of dollars, I&#8217;m sure there&#8217;s no catch. In a totally unrelated story, I&#8217;m looking forward to next season&#8217;s new CBS hit comedy,\u00a0&#8216;Young Mohammed bin Sheldon.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Netflix is buying Warner Bros. <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/05\/netflix-to-buy-warner-bros-explained\/87620257007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Here&#8217;s what it means for you<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Netflix&#8217;s proposed deal with Warner Bros., and the subsequent bidding war it set off, has rattled the entertainment industry. Capping <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/12\/08\/netflix-warner-bros-deal-streaming-cable-trump-merger\/87667647007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/12\/08\/netflix-warner-bros-deal-streaming-cable-trump-merger\/87667647007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a decade defined by streaming wars<\/a>, the large entertainment unions began blowing the whistle on anti-trust, claiming that the merging of major studios threatens artistic expression, worker conditions, the health of the movie theater business and consumer prices.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The world&#8217;s largest streaming company swallowing one of its biggest competitors is what antitrust laws were designed to prevent,&#8221; The Writers Guild of America said in a statement Dec. 5. &#8220;The outcome would eliminate\u00a0jobs, push down wages, worsen conditions for all entertainment workers, raise prices for consumers, and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><media-gallery-promo asset-id=\"86226636007\" class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Industry workers along with the public are already impacted by only a few powerful companies maintaining tight control over what consumers can watch on television, on streaming, and in theaters. This merger must be blocked,&#8221; the statement continued, in a seeming plea to the Federal Communications Bureau.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>That the FCC may take center stage marks a full circle moment for Colbert, who, some speculated, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/18\/colbert-show-cancelled-cbs-wga-investigation\/85278644007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/18\/colbert-show-cancelled-cbs-wga-investigation\/85278644007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">saw his show canceled as a move of political acquiescence<\/a>. Perhaps the sharpest critic of President <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/news\/politics\/donald-trump\/\" data-autotag=\"26f031d1-9924-4f10-b4e6-019d076113d5\">Donald Trump<\/a> in the late-night lineup (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/03\/jimmy-kimmel-donald-trump-late-night-truth-social\/87582797007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/03\/jimmy-kimmel-donald-trump-late-night-truth-social\/87582797007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">though Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> is certainly in the running now), Colbert&#8217;s program was axed by Paramount as the company had a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/07\/24\/fcc-8-billion-paramount-skydance-merger\/85366104007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/07\/24\/fcc-8-billion-paramount-skydance-merger\/85366104007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">major merger with Skydance Media before the FCC.<\/a><\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>When news of the &#8220;Late Show&#8221; cancellation broke, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/23\/stephen-colbert-late-show-cancellation-ratings\/85338378007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/07\/23\/stephen-colbert-late-show-cancellation-ratings\/85338378007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">many accused Paramount of sacrificing Colbert<\/a> to grease the wheel of approval \u2013 which they gained shortly after. Paramount denied those claims, zeroing in on the consistent losses of the show, and insisting the decision was purely financial.<\/p>\n<lit-timestamp class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-small\" slot=\"timestamp\" publishdate=\"2025-12-12 16:16:29.176580872 +0000 UTC\" updatedate=\"2025-12-12 16:16:37.487982129 +0000 UTC\"\/><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usatoday.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taylor Swift&#8217;s favorite songs in her catalog revealed on Colbert Taylor Swift made her first appearance on &#8220;The Late Show&#8221; with Stephen Colbert. She was the only guest of the night. For Stephen Colbert, the numbers aren&#8217;t adding up. The &#8220;Late Show&#8221; host, whose program was canceled by Paramount earlier this year, took Tuesday night&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2197047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[39915,350016,22220,22405,244917,21751,239390,373185,23038,25425,244916,305457,22389,6297,21741,21799,373031,400236,424203,22270,22240,239389,21739,298114,74947,23191,21738,30600,28774,31072,361662,305412,239343,239420,345559,341496,29945,310540,310542,24431,329920,22653,22476,22205,24638,21913,239471,239344,21942,400235,349363],"class_list":["post-2197046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-affiliate","tag-america","tag-arts","tag-cbs","tag-cbs-corp","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-colbert","tag-company","tag-company-news","tag-corp","tag-donald","tag-donald-trump","tag-eamotion","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-film-u0026-tv-industry","tag-guild","tag-humor","tag-industry","tag-life","tag-life-now","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-negative","tag-netflix","tag-news","tag-now","tag-of","tag-online","tag-online-video","tag-optimized","tag-overall","tag-overall-negative","tag-political","tag-political-humor","tag-programs","tag-seo","tag-seo-team-optimized","tag-shows","tag-stephen","tag-stephen-colbert","tag-team","tag-television","tag-trump","tag-tv","tag-tv-shows-u0026-programs","tag-u0026","tag-video","tag-writers","tag-writers-guild-of-america"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Stephen-Colbert-jokes-Paramount-can-afford-show-amid-Warner-Bros.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2197046"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2197048,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197046\/revisions\/2197048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2197047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2197046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2197046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2197046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}