“Sorry. That's not what happened here”: Keith Olbermann denies rumors of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" being cancelled due to politics

Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has fought off the talk that Stephen Colbert's move away from CBS was due to politics, mainly his harsh words on Donald Trump. On X, Olbermann turned down the notion fully, noting that the network's choice to keep Colbert until May shows that his exit was not tied to any political strain.

Olbermann said that if CBS really had a problem with Colbert’s views on politics, they would have cut him off right away, not let him stay on the air into the spring.

He took to his X account and posted:

"Sorry. That's not what happened here. If it had, they wouldn't be keeping him on until next MAY."

Sorry. That's not what happened here. If it had, they wouldn't be keeping him on until next MAY

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) July 19, 2025

Stephen Colbert's Late Show to end in 2026, sparking backlash and political concerns

CBS has said that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its long run in May 2026. This will stop the show that has been on late at night for years, and they haven't said who will follow him.

The show was first hosted by David Letterman from 1992 to 2015, and then Colbert took over.

The news has made many people upset online. One post that got a lot of attention said this end was like being silenced by those in power, as if the U.S. was at a point where funny people who speak out are shut down.

After this, lots of liberal leaders and big names in the media spoke up, worried that letting Colbert go was not just about the show needing a change.

They noted the show's strong words on President Trump and said its end may tie to secret moves by big firms.

This comes as CBS' top firm, Paramount, talks big deals with Skydance.

CBS under fire for $16M Trump deal as Colbert's exit raises eyebrows

As CBS gets ready for a possible sale to Skydance, the network's move to pay $16 million to President Donald Trump to stop a lawsuit has got a lot of harsh words from both politics and the press, more so after the sudden let-go of Stephen Colbert, one of its star late-night hosts.

The lawsuit, which Trump took to court, said that CBS changed a "60 Minutes" talk with Vice President Kamala Harris to sway the 2024 vote.

It was all about claims of tricky editing. A clip shown on "Face the Nation" made Harris look bad when answering a question on Gaza, leading to a lot of jokes and bad talk online.

But, when the full part was shown, that reply had changed to a clearer one.

CBS said the deal was just a business move, but critics, like Senator Bernie Sanders, think there is more to it.

They ask if it was a chance that Colbert was let go just days after he spoke against the deal.

CBS blames big losses as Colbert's politically charged Late Show nears its end

CBS has said they are cutting The Late Show because it's losing too much money, about $40 million every year.

Even though Stephen Colbert has been at the top of the late-night shows on TV, with an average of 2.4 million people watching each time, he still often had fewer viewers than his cable TV rival, Greg Gutfeld.

All late-night TV shows have been losing viewers, which means they make less money from ads.

Colbert took over as host after David Letterman left. He shifted from his funny role on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report to leading The Late Show.

Instead of the usual late-night setup that tries to please everyone, Colbert turned the show into a spot filled with strong political views.