{"id":2462995,"date":"2026-06-16T23:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2462995"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:30:14","slug":"cbs-will-pay-for-stephen-colberts-peanuts-music-licensing-gag-from-late-show-finale-but-theres-a-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/cbs-will-pay-for-stephen-colberts-peanuts-music-licensing-gag-from-late-show-finale-but-theres-a-twist\/","title":{"rendered":"CBS will pay for Stephen Colbert&#8217;s \u201cPeanuts\u201d music licensing gag from \u201cLate Show\u201d finale \u2014 but there&#8217;s a twist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stephen Colbert&#8217;s house band played &#8220;Linus and Lucy&#8221; on the <em>Late Show <\/em>finale in May as the host joked, &#8220;I hope this doesn&#8217;t cost CBS any money!&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., announced that the network is paying to license the <em>Peanuts <\/em>track for its use in the episode.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However, the proceeds from the payout will go to charity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">CBS is paying for a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/stephen-colbert\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Stephen Colbert;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Stephen Colbert&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Stephen Colbert<\/a> gag from the final episode of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The Late Show;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Late Show&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Late Show<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The network will pay a licensing fee to Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc. (LMFP) \u2014 the company behind the iconic <em>Peanuts<\/em> animated specials and their soundtracks \u2014 after Colbert&#8217;s house band, Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine, played Vince Guaraldi&#8217;s &#8220;Linus and Lucy&#8221; during the talk show&#8217;s finale in May, LMFP announced in a press release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However, LMFP agreed to donate all the proceeds of CBS&#8217; payment to World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit organization founded by Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s that provides free meals during times of crisis. World Central Kitchen previously received a $2.5 million donation on behalf of <em>The Late Show<\/em> on the show&#8217;s penultimate episode.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Stephen Colbert on &#8216;The Late Show&#8217;<br \/>Credit: Scott Kowalchyk\/CBS<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;LMFP found the music&#8217;s use on <em>The Late Show <\/em>funny and entertaining, and is proud to support World Central Kitchen\u2019s mission,\u201d LMFP&#8217;s chairman, Jason Mendelson, said in a statement. \u201cA principal goal of our enforcement actions is to educate individuals, businesses, and government entities about the need to obtain written license agreements to use music in a commercial setting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Entertainment Weekly <\/em>has reached out to representatives for Colbert for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The segment in question saw Colbert cheekily read a headline about how the license holders for Guaraldi&#8217;s <em>Peanuts<\/em> compositions tend to sue anyone who uses the music without going through the proper licensing channels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Anyone illegally using that music is going to have to pay through the nose,&#8221; Colbert said as Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine began to perform the track. &#8220;Louis! Is the band right now playing the same <em>Peanuts<\/em> music that I just said people were being sued for for using without permission? Is that what it&#8217;s doing?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After Cato confirmed that the tune was, indeed, &#8220;Linus and Lucy,&#8221; Colbert sarcastically responded, &#8220;Oh no! I hope this doesn&#8217;t cost CBS any money!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>The Late Show<\/em> came to a close on May 21 after 33 years on CBS, the last 11 of which were hosted by Colbert. The network claimed that the move to end the talk show was &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-to-end-in-2026-cbs-retiring-franchise-11774759\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:purely a financial decision;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;purely a financial decision&quot;}\" class=\"link \">purely a financial decision<\/a>&#8221; and that it was unrelated to &#8220;the show&#8217;s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Stephen Colbert on 'The Late Show'Credit: Scott Kowalchyk\/CBS\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ThbhyR2pwVCTn2hNC3Zq_g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/e6b94cf69b7614eb02955b3d0242efdb\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Stephen Colbert on &#8216;The Late Show&#8217;<br \/>Credit: Scott Kowalchyk\/CBS<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"> EW Dispatch newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The final episode of the talk show ended with a performance of the Beatles&#8217; &#8220;Hello Goodbye&#8221; courtesy of Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, Cato, and Colbert. Earlier in the episode, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tig Notaro, Tim Meadows, and Ryan Reynolds appeared in brief cameos in the studio audience, and fellow late-night hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver appeared in a pre-recorded segment (along with Neil deGrasse Tyson).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/cbs-will-pay-fee-for-stephen-colbert-using-peanuts-music-in-late-show-finale-12000346\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/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.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key points Stephen Colbert&#8217;s house band played &#8220;Linus and Lucy&#8221; on the Late Show finale in May as the host joked, &#8220;I hope this doesn&#8217;t cost CBS any money!&#8221; Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., announced that the network is paying to license the Peanuts track for its use in the episode. However, the proceeds from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2462996,"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":[343198,417698,484478,476298,484479,22653,33798,397269,355185],"class_list":["post-2462995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-late-show","tag-lee-mendelson","tag-linus-and-lucy","tag-louis-cato","tag-peanuts-music","tag-stephen-colbert","tag-the-late-show","tag-vince-guaraldi","tag-world-central-kitchen"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CBS-will-pay-for-Stephen-Colberts-Peanuts-music-licensing-gag.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462995","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=2462995"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2462997,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462995\/revisions\/2462997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2462996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2462995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2462995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2462995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}