OutKick founder Clay Travis believes Donald Trump has sped up the decline of late night talkshows, after Stephen Colbert’s program was canceled this week.
The ‘Late Show’ was axed this week and according to reports, was losing up to $40million a year – a figure bosses at CBS ultimately decided was unsustainable for its best-known show. Advertising revenue for Colbert’s show has dropped 40% since 2018.
Colbert regularly attacked Donald Trump over the airwaves – the President reacted with glee when the news broke Thursday of Colbert’s demise – but Travis believes the anti-Trump agenda of multiple late night talkshows is a reason behind their widespread struggles.
He wrote on X on Saturday: ‘I think the late night comedy shows have been replaced by actual comedy specials — it used to be pretty hard to see comedy sets, now streaming has a billion — & podcasts, which do much better and more authentic interviews with “famous” people than the five minute late show interviews.
‘I’d argue the late night show audience got split and erased by those two alternatives. Having said that, late night shows might have had another decade if they’d stuck to making fun of both sides instead of becoming bastions of anti-Trump swill.
‘They thought crushing Trump was their salvation, in reality he accelerated their obsolescence.’
CBS surprisingly announced the end of Stephen Colbert’s popular ‘Late Show’ this week
Clay Travis said struggling shows would last longer by changing their Donald Trump approach
OutKick founder Travis believes TV shows are trying too hard to accomodate the internet
The 46-year-old Travis, who launched the sports and opinion website in 2011, posted several thoughtful suggestions over how and why talkshows appear to be struggling for viewers – none more so than on CBS.
When “The Late Late Show” host James Corden left in 2023, CBS opted not to hire a replacement. The network also canceled “After Midnight” this year, after host Taylor Tomlinson chose to return to full-time stand-up comedy.
Travis also scrutinized their efforts to adapt to the demands of the internet age.
‘Late night comedy forgot their shows served everyone & decided to pursue Internet niche instead,’ he wrote.
‘I think lots of big brands have over indexed what “Twitter” thinks. ESPN, for instance. And it has largely made their brands and product worse.
‘Challenge in Internet age is bland content that appeals to everyone doesn’t have the hard core fandom depth necessary to succeed there.
‘Most “TV people” don’t work on Internet because authenticity is most important trait in Internet era and TV guys and gals often are pretty fake. Interesting thing to me is now TV is just taking Internet people and putting them on TV to try and save itself.’
Trump made no effort in hiding his delight at the news of Colbert’s show ending.
Taylor Tominson’s CBS talkshow ended earlier this year when she returned to comedy
He wrote on Truth Social: ‘I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired.
‘His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!
‘Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.’