The Monologue Heard 'Round the Web: Colbert's Final Stand Breaks YouTube Records
Despite his significant estimated net worth of $75 million, Stephen Colbert's raw, 12-minute monologue following the unexpected news of The Late Show's impending cancellation has garnered nearly 10 million views on YouTube, marking his channel's most popular video in six years. This viral phenomenon, however, paradoxically underscores the show's persistent struggle to convert its strong linear television ratings into consistent social media engagement—a significant factor in CBS's decision to end the long-running franchise.
Key Facts
- A "Gloves Off" Farewell: On July 21, Colbert opened his show addressing the cancellation, which CBS attributed to "purely financial" reasons. In a defiant address, he declared "the gloves are off" in his commentary on President Donald Trump, famously telling the president to "go f— yourself."
- A Rare Online Hit: The monologue's video accumulated 9.93 million views by Friday morning, making it the most-watched content on The Late Show's YouTube channel since New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's appearance in September 2018.
- Declining Digital Footprint: While videos regularly topped 10 million views between 2015 and 2018, The Late Show's YouTube popularity has steadily declined year-over-year. Until this week, only 10 videos in the past three years had surpassed the 4 million view mark.
- The High Cost of Late Night: Late-night television has become increasingly expensive and less profitable. Despite being the highest-rated program in its 11:30 p.m. ET slot, Colbert's show was reportedly incurring annual losses of $40 million against a budget exceeding $100 million.
- The Social Media Divide: Unlike competitors such as NBC's Jimmy Fallon or ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, who actively cultivate viral, "click-happy" clips, Colbert's show has struggled to achieve similar digital penetration. For context, Colbert's most-watched YouTube clip boasts 49 million views, dwarfed by Fallon's 507 million and Kimmel's 80 million.
By the Numbers
- Average YouTube Performance: The Late Show's YouTube channel, active since 2015, has posted 12,180 videos with an average viewership of 870,698, according to Social Blade. This contrasts sharply with The Tonight Show's average of 1.4 million viewers per video and Jimmy Kimmel Live's 1.7 million.
- Linear TV Dominance: Despite its digital lag, The Late Show has consistently been the highest-rated late-night program on broadcast television. For the first half of 2025, it averaged 2.4 million linear viewers, Nielsen data cited by USA Today shows, compared to Kimmel's 1.8 million and Fallon's 1.2 million. However, all three shows have seen their traditional broadcast ratings decline annually.
Political Undercurrents and Corporate Deals
While Paramount, CBS's parent company, publicly stated "purely financial" reasons for the cancellation, viewers, industry insiders, and Colbert himself have openly speculated about deeper political considerations. "How could it purely be a financial decision if ‘The Late Show’ is number one in ratings?” Colbert challenged on Monday.
This decision comes amidst a period of intense political commentary from Colbert, a staunch critic of Donald Trump. The former president, never shy, even posted on Truth Social: "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings."
Significantly, the cancellation announcement followed Colbert's on-air criticism of CBS for a reported $16 million payment to settle a lawsuit from Donald Trump concerning a 2020 "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. This settlement occurred precisely as Paramount sought approval from the Trump administration for an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. The FCC officially greenlit the merger on Thursday, just a week after The Late Show's cancellation.
Notably, Skydance had committed to ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) considerations in its hiring, promotions, development, and compensation practices as part of the merger's regulatory path. The FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, publicly welcomed Skydance's commitment to "make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network" to ensure "a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum."
Stephen Colbert's raw, 12-minute monologue following the unexpected news of The Late Show's impending cancellation has garnered nearly 10 million views on YouTube, marking his channel's most popular video in six years. This viral phenomenon, however, paradoxically underscores the show's persistent struggle to convert its strong linear television ratings into consistent social media engagement—a significant factor in CBS's decision to end the long-running franchise.
Watch Stephen Colbert's Viral Cancellation Monologue:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why was The Late Show with Stephen Colbert cancelled? A1: CBS's parent company, Paramount, cited "purely financial" reasons for the cancellation, stating the show was losing $40 million annually despite being the top-rated late-night program. However, speculation from viewers, insiders, and Colbert himself suggests political concerns might also have played a role, especially given recent corporate dealings with the Trump administration.
Q2: How did Colbert's cancellation monologue become so popular online? A2: The 12-minute monologue, delivered on July 21, went viral because Colbert addressed the news directly and defiantly, telling President Trump to "go f— yourself" and declaring "the gloves are off." This raw, uncensored commentary resonated strongly with viewers, making it his most-watched YouTube video in six years.
Q3: How does The Late Show's YouTube viewership compare to other late-night shows? A3: Despite the recent viral success of his cancellation monologue, The Late Show generally lags behind competitors like Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel's Jimmy Kimmel Live in YouTube views. Colbert's channel averages 870,698 views per video, while Fallon averages 1.4 million and Kimmel averages 1.7 million, indicating a broader struggle to translate linear ratings into digital engagement.
Q4: Is there a connection between the cancellation and Paramount's merger with Skydance Media? A4: Yes, the timing is notable. The cancellation announcement followed Colbert's public criticism of CBS for a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump, which occurred as Paramount sought Trump administration approval for its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. The FCC approved the merger shortly after Colbert's show was canceled, with Skydance committing to end certain diversity initiatives.
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