Piers Morgan calls Stephen Colbert 'activist hack for Democrats'
What's the story
Piers Morgan, British journalist and television personality, has weighed in on CBS's decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he suggested that most American late-night hosts have become "hyper-partisan activist hacks" for the Democratic Party. He wrote, "Most of America's biggest late-night hosts have become nothing more than hyper-partisan activist hacks for the Democrats - a party that's rarely been more unpopular."
Implications
'No wonder Colbert got canned...'
Morgan further added, "No wonder Colbert got canned. More will follow." His comments come after CBS cited financial reasons behind booting the talk show. But many, including Stephen Colbert, have speculated it may have been influenced by US President Donald Trump's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) clearance during a pending merger between CBS's parent company, Paramount, and Skydance. Earlier, Paramount had also paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit with Trump.
Show's end
Trump reacted to the news, praised Greg Gutfeld
Colbert addressed the settlement issue on his July 14 monologue, calling it "a big, fat bribe." Soon, he was met with the axing news. Trump reacted to the show's cancellation, writing on Truth Social that he loved Colbert's firing. "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings." He went on to praise Fox News's Greg Gutfeld as being "better than all of them combined," referring to Colbert and Jimmy Fallon.
Shared concerns
Jay Leno also shared his thoughts
Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno also weighed in on the controversy. In an interview with David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, he said that late-night hosts often alienate part of their audience by "cozying up" to one political party. He added, "Why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole?"