A Chicago comedian voiced on Tuesday that the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” might actually inspire more humor about President Donald Trump, countering the worries expressed by some liberal critics.
After CBS revealed a few weeks back that Colbert’s show was ending, reactions ranged from commentators to lawmakers deeming the move an authoritarian act, suggesting CBS had surrendered to Trump following a recent legal settlement.
While some imagined this could lead to either increased censorship or limited political commentary, the comedians from Chicago, who were influenced by Colbert, maintained a strong belief in the opposite outcome.
“It’s about someone in the presidency,” remarked late-night host Mark Baser. “That’s the gig. I doubt there are many comedians or talk show hosts who easily bow down.”
Baser expressed that Colbert might feel freer to make bold jokes about Trump now that he doesn’t have the pressure of keeping the show.
“We’ve all been watching late-night talk shows for ages; it’s a tradition to poke fun at those in power, and that’s just part of the job,” Baser added.
James Dugan, a local comedian who performs at Chicago’s improvisation venues, shared with the Chicago Sun-Times that his team has been crafting jokes from headlines that predominantly highlight Trump. He raised concerns about an overabundance of Trump-related humor.
“We’ll go through four or five newspapers and lay them out, especially during shows,” Dugan explained. “Then we wonder if we should ease off on Trump material because people are getting kind of sick of it.”
Yet, some comedians express unease about the broader implications of Colbert’s cancellation for the comedy world.
“The reality that sitting officials face so many private lawsuits and that it triggers situations like this—it’s troubling,” commented stand-up comedian Woong Kim to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Despite the situation’s context, CBS and its parent company Paramount maintain that the cancellation stems from financial motives rather than political ones.
An insider noted that the decision came just days prior to Paramount’s settlement with Trump.
Colbert himself has not shied away from criticizing Trump in the weeks following the show’s cancellation. Last week, he told Trump to “go to himself” after celebrating the end of “The Late Show.”
