On National Boss’s Day, ‘The Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert mockingly expressed his admiration for Paramount CEO David Ellison, the head of the newly merged Paramount Skydance company. The comedian, known for his witty and often sarcastic commentary, took the opportunity to poke fun at the CEO while subtly criticizing the network’s recent decision to end his show in May 2026, citing financial reasons. The situation is made even more ironic by the fact that Colbert’s show was recently canceled, with the network citing financial constraints as the reason, even though it was just announced earlier this year that it would end after the current season.
CBS, which currently owns ‘The Late Show,’ announced in July that it would end the show at the end of its current season, citing financial reasons. This was just weeks after the network reached a $16 million settlement with former President Donald Trump, who had filed a lawsuit over an edited 2024 interview featuring then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Colbert himself took the opportunity to criticize the network for agreeing to the settlement, suggesting that the move was part of a larger strategy to secure regulatory approval for the merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, which had just been approved in August 2025. In his monologue, Colbert jokingly expressed his support for Ellison, saying,