Colbert Critiques $16 Million Settlement with Trump
Late-night host Stephen Colbert has openly criticized the recent $16 million settlement involving Paramount and former President Donald Trump, calling it a “big fat bribe” related to Skydance’s merger.
This month, Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, agreeing to the hefty sum for a compiled interview featuring Kamala Harris, a former presidential candidate. The company mentioned that this amount would cover Trump’s legal fees and miscellaneous costs, while also contributing to his presidential library.
As part of the agreement, Paramount promised to release transcripts of “60 Minutes” interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after they’ve aired, although they are subject to legal or national security editing. Notably, the settlement did not include any form of apology.
Reports suggest that Shari Redstone, Paramount’s chairwoman and major shareholder, was eager to resolve matters with Trump. Some speculate that this desire could be linked to a significant sale of the company to Skydance, which required approval from the Trump administration.
On his show, Colbert didn’t hold back while discussing the settlement, implying it resembled a bribe. He remarked, “During my vacation, my parent company Paramount paid Donald Trump a $16 million settlement. As an employee of the network, I find that offensive. I’m not sure how to regain any trust here, but I suppose $16 million might help in some twisted way.”
Colbert characterized Trump’s various lawsuits as “nuisance lawsuits” and noted that Paramount had previously described the case as having “completely no merit” when agreeing to the settlement.
In jest, he pointed out, “Paramount created ‘Transformer: Beast Rise.’ They clearly know what ‘completely without merit’ means.” He further quipped, “It feels like they’ve said, ‘You may take our money, but you’ll never take our dignity. However, for $16 million, you can buy it back.'”
He concluded by firmly stating that this settlement, in essence, reflects a sort of “big and fatty counselor” deal, and emphasized that such financial arrangements with government officials have a specific terminology in legal circles: a bribe. Colbert underscored that Paramount’s owners seem to be seeking approval from the Trump administration to finalize the sale of their network to Skydance.
