The Writers Guild of America has called on New York state officials to launch an investigation into Paramount following its sudden decision to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday, the Writers Guild of America East and the Writers Guild of America West asked the New York state attorney general, Letitia James, to investigate Paramount over “potential wrongdoing” after the company announced the cancellation of the Late Show on Thursday.
The unions pointed to Paramount’s decision earlier this month to settle what it condemned as a “baseless lawsuit” brought against 60 Minutes and CBS News by Donald Trump for $16m. Trump had claimed that CBS News misleadingly edited an interview with Kamala Harris last fall during the presidential campaign.
Citing the California state senate’s decision in May to launch an inquiry into Paramount’s $16m settlement with Trump as precedent, the unions said: “Given Paramount’s recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS News lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America has significant concerns that The Late Show’s cancelation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump administration as the company looks for merger approval.”
It continued: “Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society. Paramount’s decision comes against a backdrop of relentless attacks on a free press by President Trump, through lawsuits against CBS and ABC, threatened litigation of media organizations with critical coverage, and the unconscionable defunding of PBS and NPR.”
The unions called on James to launch an investigation into Paramount, saying that she is “no stranger to prosecuting Trump for illegal business practices”.
“We call on our elected leaders to hold those responsible to account, to demand answers about why this beloved program was canceled and to assure the public that Colbert and his writers were not censored due to their views or the whims of the president,” the WGA added.
A spokesperson for James’s office said the NYAG office is monitoring the situation.
The cancellation comes after Colbert – who has long been a critic of Trump on his show – called Paramount’s settlement a “big fat bribe” on air on Monday.
“As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended … I don’t know if anything – anything – will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16m would help,” he said.
Echoing Colbert’s disapproval, Jon Stewart, who works for Comedy Central – which is also owned by Paramount – condemned the deal on air last week, calling it “shameful”.
He added: “I would assume internally, this is devastating to the people who work in a place that pride themselves on contextual, good journalism?”
Following Paramount’s announcement, numerous lawmakers have weighed in on the cancellation, casting skepticism at the company.
The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on X: “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery.”
Similarly, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders said: “CBS’s billionaire owners pay Trump $16 million to settle a bogus lawsuit while trying to sell the network to Skydance. Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late night host, slams the deal. Days later, he’s fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO.”
In a statement on Thursday evening, CBS executives said that the decision to cancel the show was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night”, adding that it was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount”.
The Guardian has contacted the WGAE for comment.
