Free Republic

Stephen Colbert declared to Donald Trump that “the gloves are off” in his first broadcast since his Late Show was cancelled amid a political firestorm, as his fellow hosts lined up to defend him with Jon Stewart scathingly denouncing Paramount for trying to “censor and control” its hosts. Colbert, the top-rated late-night talk show host in the US, said last week on his CBS show Late Night – which he took over from David Letterman in 2015 – that Paramount’s decision to pay a $16m settlement to Trump over another flagship CBS show, 60 Minutes, amounted to a “big fat...

Jon Stewart does not sound like he is losing sleep over “The Daily Show” potentially being canceled if Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount is approved. Stewart, on the Thursday episode of his “The Weekly Show” podcast, was asked if he is concerned the deal would spell the end of the long-running comedy program, in part because of his recent criticism of Paramount and President Donald Trump. The 62-year-old comedian said he is not worried about it. “You know, unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything from [Paramount or Skydance]. They haven’t called me and said like, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office.’”...

Last week, 60 Minutes’ executive producer Bill Owens resigned in protest — but Owens and the rest of the news program have never taken responsibility for their own corruption.Last week, Bill Owens, the executive producer of CBS’ flagship news program 60 Minutes, resigned, “citing encroachments on his journalistic independence,” per The New York Times. In the first show since the news of Owens’ resignation broke, 60 Minutes ended the program with a glowing, if dubious, tribute to Owens that has since gone viral online. The program took the unusual step of alleging unethical behavior by CBS’ corporate parent Paramount for...