“The Late Show” audience erupted in cheers on Tuesday — and even chanted Stephen Colbert’s name — after the host delivered a pointed line about Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Paramount launched its $108 billion offer this week, days after Warner announced plans to sell to Netflix in an $82.7 billion deal.
“Wow. I gotta say, if my company’s got that kind of green, I’m sure they can afford to uncancel one of their best shows,” Colbert quipped.
The audience roared and began chanting Colbert’s name.
“The people know. The people know,” he said, before joking about the possible return of “The Equalizer.”
The moment was a clear jab at CBS’ decision to cancel Colbert’s show come May. The network claimed in its announcement this summer that it was “purely a financial decision.” But it came as Paramount sought approval from the Trump administration for its now-completed merger with Skydance and amid Trump’s repeated calls for Colbert, a huge critic of the president, to be shut down.
Watch from the nine-minute mark here:
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