Recommendations of the Editorial team
On last night’s “Late Show,” host Stephen Colbert deliberately played copyrighted music during a segment – a move that could cost his former employer CBS dearly. the use should have been unauthorized and result in a lawsuit.
“Peanuts is a powerful brand and a whole company in itself. Anyone who uses this music illegally will have to dig deep into their pockets,” he said before turning to his bandleader Louis Cato.
“Louis, Louis! Is that band playing the same ‘Peanuts’ music that I just said people are getting sued for using without permission? Is that what you guys are doing right now?” The band actually sang the well-known Vince Guaraldi song. “Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!” said Colbert.
The end of the “Late Show”
The Late Show was canceled in July 2025 after CBS and its parent company Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. CBS described the decision as “purely financial.” However, many speculated that Paramount sacrificed the show to curry favor with Trump – Colbert had always been an outspoken critic – and the FCC, thereby facilitating the merger between Paramount and Skydance.
Last week, Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver released the first new episode of their podcast “Strike Force Five” since 2023 — two days after the late-night hosts reunited on “The Late Show.” When Fallon asked if the end of the show had quite arrived, Colbert replied: “What I said: The rising tide of emotions has reached my chin, and now there’s only one thing left to do – take a deep breath and swim like crazy until May 21st.”
