Stephen Colbert Latest Casualty of Late-Night TV's Fade-Out

American late-night television had been fighting for its survival even before The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was cancelled last week.

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LOS ANGELES -

The announced end of one of the most popular broadcast late-night shows, days after American host Stephen Colbert (right) accused the network owner of bribing President Donald Trump to approve a merger, drew cries of political foul play from liberal politicians, artists and entertainers.

"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," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, wrote on X.

CBS executives said in a statement that dropping the show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount".

Whether or not politics were at play, the late-night format has been struggling for years, as viewers increasingly cut the cable TV cord and migrate to streaming.

Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller, ageing TV audiences and declining ad revenues.