CBS backs off after backlash from Colbert fans.
CBS Suspends Takedowns Targeting Colbert’s Final Trump Jab
May 25 2026, Published 4:18 p.m. ET
CBS has paused copyright takedown notices aimed at unofficial YouTube uploads of Stephen Colbert’s surprise return to Only in Monroe. This move came after viewers accused the network of trying to limit the impact of his latest comment on President Donald Trump.
The takedowns affected clips from Colbert’s new episode of the Michigan public-access show, which aired one day after his final broadcast on The Late Show. The episode was produced by CBS Studios in partnership with Monroe Community Media and Colbert’s YouTube channel.
Colbert returned to TV after The Late Show ends.
CBS explained that the copyright notices were standard procedures against unauthorized uploads and not an attempt to suppress the program.
However, the network later suspended further action while it reviewed the situation, according to reports from The Daily Beast.
This decision followed the spread of bootleg uploads of the episode online, with some attracting large audiences before CBS intervened.
The official version remained available on Colbert’s YouTube channel and The Late Show channel, but the takedowns quickly became part of the ongoing debate around whether the network was protecting its rights or trying to silence one of television’s most prominent Trump critics.
Colbert made things more complicated for CBS as his return to Only in Monroe, embracing the awkwardness of his exit, using the small-town public-access format to poke fun at CBS and Trump.
The episode featured appearances by Jack White, Eminem, and other guests, and revived a local-TV gag Colbert first used in 2015 before taking over The Late Show.
The Daily Beast reported that CBS funded and produced the new episode, which provided the network with a legal reason to act against reposted versions.
However, the timing has been called to question as Colbert had just finished his CBS run, and his first appearance after The Late Show led to another online debate over how the network treated him.
CBS canceled The Late Show in 2025, citing financial reasons for ending the franchise. This decision attracted political attention because Colbert often criticized Trump and due to Paramount, CBS’s parent company, navigating a corporate deal with Skydance while also facing political pressure related to a Trump lawsuit over 60 Minutes.
The Guardian reported that Paramount announced the cancellation while seeking approval for its $8 billion merger with Skydance.
CBS was accused of trying to takedown Colbert's Only in Monroe.
Colbert’s last CBS episode aired on May 21 and drew 6.74 million viewers, more than double his usual audience, according to The Daily Beast. The finale allowed the host to thank his staff and viewers one last time, but it also included another jab at the network.
During a Meanwhile segment, the band played music associated with Peanuts while Colbert joked about whether the moment might cost CBS money, referencing recent copyright issues over music from the classic specials.
The new takedown controversy kept the energy from that final week alive. For CBS, the issue was about unauthorized uploads of a show it helped produce. For many Colbert fans, it seemed like the network was still trying to control the ending.
CBS’s choice to stop the takedowns, at least for now, allows the episode more opportunity to circulate while the official upload stays online. It also gives Colbert another viral moment after leaving the late-night network, this time from a public-access studio in Monroe, Michigan.