Stephen Colbert has addressed speculation that The Late Show was cancelled due to political motivations.
The long-standing late-night host has responded to the growing theories suggesting that the CBS programme's cancellation may have been politically motivated.
In July, U.S. President Donald Trump sued CBS's parent company, alleging that 60 Minutes had edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris in a misleading way. The case was later settled by Paramount for a reported $16 million (£12 million).
During an episode of The Late Show, Colbert mocked the payout, describing it as a "big fat bribe". Shortly afterwards, CBS announced the cancellation of his show.
Speaking in a new GQ cover story, the comedian said he could "understand why" people might think that the decision was politically motivated.
"I mean, that's not my job. That's not my reaction to it. My reaction as a professional in show business is to go: That is the network's decision," he said. "I can understand why people would have that reaction because CBS or the parent corporation - I'm not going to say who made that decision, because I don't know; no one's ever going to tell us - decided to cut a check for $16 million to the president of the United States over a lawsuit that their own lawyers, Paramount's own lawyers, said is completely without merit."
Colbert added that he believes the payout was "damaging to the reputation" of the network.
"So it is unclear to me why anyone would do that other than to curry favor with a single individual," he continued. "If people have theories that associate me with that, it's a reasonable thing to think, because CBS or the corporation clearly did it once."
The talk show host concluded, "But my side of the street is clean and I have no interest in picking up a broom or adding to refuse on the other side of the street. Not my problem. So people can have their theories."
The Late Show is set to end in May 2026 after 33 years on air.
