4t.Jon Stewart, cohost of The Daily Show, is uncertain about the show’s future as Paramount’s merger talks with Skydance Media raise new questions about the network’s direction.Speaking candidly on the latest episode of his podcast, Stewart admitted, “We haven’t heard anything from them.” When asked whether the iconic late-night show might be on the chopping block, he added with a hint of humor, “They haven’t called me to say, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office, Stewart.’”Despite the silence from the top, Stewart is staying grounded. “We’ll deal with it when we do,” he said, acknowledging the possibility of cancellation—but refusing to dwell on it until there’s a reason to.

Jon Stewart - Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images — Jon Stewart – Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Even before CBS announced the unexpected cancellation of The Late Show hosted by Stephen Colbert — allegedly for purely financial reasons — other hosts under the Paramount Global banner were looking over their shoulders. Jon Stewart, who co-hosts The Daily Show, isn’t sure whether the long-running late-night series will survive as Paramount continues its attempt at merging with Skydance Media. The deal has been delayed for over a year while the companies await FCC approval.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything from them,” Stewart said in response to a listener question on the latest episode of his podcast, The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart (released on Thursday), about whether Skydance would scrap Daily Show once the merger is complete. “They haven’t called me and said, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office, Stewart.’ But let me tell you something, I’ve been kicked out of shittier establishments than that. We’ll land on our feet. I honestly don’t know.”

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Stewart considered that without Daily Show, it’s uncertain that Comedy Central could continue to hold up on its own with just the remaining shows on its roster. “I think we’re the only sort of life that exists on a current basis other than South Park,” he said. “But I’d like to think we bring enough value to the property. Like, if they’re looking at it as purely a real estate transaction, I think we bring a lot of value. But that may not be their consideration. I don’t know, they may sell the whole fucking place for parts.”

South Park is still alive, but the show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone recently slammed the Paramount-Skydance merger for delaying the release of Season 27. “This merger is a shitshow and it’s fucking up ‘South Park,’” they shared in a recent social media statement. “We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”

Stewart is taking things day by day and said that “We’ll deal with it when we do,” should a cancellation come to be. He said he doesn’t want to make any assumptions regarding Skydance Media CEO David Ellison’s plans for the company post-merger, adding: “We’ve all got a surmisal about who actually is owning it and what his ideology is, but ideology may not play a part.”

When news of The Late Show‘s cancellation broke Thursday evening, CBS stressed in a statement that the decision was wholly unrelated to any “other matters” affecting Paramount. Not everyone is convinced. Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned the motives behind CBS’ decision, writing on X: “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump — a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”

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Jon Stewart Blasts Paramount in Fiery “Daily Show” Segment Over “Colbert” Cancellation: ‘Go F- Yourself’

CBS said it was a “financial decision” to cancel ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ after 10 seasons

Madison E. Goldberg

Tue, July 22, 2025 at 12:42 PM GMT+7

3 min read

Paul Morigi/Getty; Bruce Glikas/Getty

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert

Jon Stewart is firing back at Paramount over its decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

In the Monday, July 21 ,episode of The Daily Show, Stewart, 62, spoke on the recent announcement that The Late Show will be ending in May 2026.

“I understand the corporate fear,” Stewart said. “I understand the fear that you and your advertisers have with $8 billion at stake, but understand this, truly, the shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those f—— shows. That’s what made you that money.”

The Daily Show host continued to speak on the role politics plays in late night television, adding, “Shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid. Believe me, this is not a ‘We speak truth to power’. We don’t; we speak opinions to television cameras, but we try. We f—— try every night. If you believe as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king’s radar, [firstly] why will anyone watch you and you are f—— wrong.”

On July 17, parent company CBS told PEOPLE in a statement that they canceled The Late Show after 10 seasons in “a financial decision.” The cancellation came three days after Colbert, 61, slammed Paramount over its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, who alleged that CBS News’ 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Comedy Central Jon Stewart the Daily Show — Comedy CentralJon Stewart the Daily Show

“I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles: it’s ‘big, fat bribe,’ ” Colbert said on The Late Show on July 14.

“You want to know how impossible it is to stay on Lord Farquaad’s good side? Donald Trump is suing Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, the man other than Biden, maybe most responsible for getting Trump elected. Fox spends 24 hours a day blowing Trump, and it’s not enough. Imagine suing someone mid-blow,” Stewart added, referencing Trump’s lawsuit regarding a piece in The Wall Street Journal that reported on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

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Stewart then addressed the public speculation surrounding the reason for Colbert‘s cancellation. “If you’re trying to figure out why Stephen’s show is ending, I don’t think the answer can be found in some smoking gun email or phone call from Trump to CBS executives or in CBS’ QuickBooks spreadsheets on the financial health of late night.”

He continued, “I think the answer is in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America’s institutions at this very moment, institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful and vindictive actions of our pubic hair doodling Commander in Chief. This is not the moment to give in.”