Stephen Colbert's surprise public access spot sparks short-lived CBS copyright fray
Key takeaways
- Stephen Colbert’s viral public access spot had former bosses CBS and its parent company Paramount in a brief tizzy over the weekend, mere hours after his buzzy late-night sign-off.
- The beloved late-night host brought the curtain down on his CBS late-night series after 11 years, with appearances by several stars, including Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Ryan Reynolds and Paul McCartney.
- “For this episode, we have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review,” the statement said.
Stephen Colbert returned to the air on Friday evening on “Only in Monroe,” a public access program in Monroe, Mich. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) By Alexandra Del Rosario Staff Writer Contact May 26, 2026 2:25 PM PT 1 5 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Stephen Colbert’s viral public access spot had former bosses CBS and its parent company Paramount in a brief tizzy over the weekend, mere hours after his buzzy late-night sign-off.
The longtime TV personality, 62, returned to the air on Friday evening on “Only in Monroe,” a public access program in Monroe, Mich., with an hour-long late-night parody episode that featured several guests and took shots at Paramount’s monopolistic aspirations in media. Colbert, previously a one-time host of “Only in Monroe,” began his episode: “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community before they also get acquired by Paramount.”