Stephen Colbert is already back online days after ending his long-running late-night show. The comedian quietly launched a new YouTube channel with a surprise hour-long video.
The unexpected move comes less than a week after CBS aired the final episode of The Late Show. Colbert’s return quickly sparked online discussion, especially as controversy around Paramount and the show’s cancellation continues to grow.
Stephen Colbert launches YouTube channel after show cancellation
Instead of making a polished comeback announcement, Stephen Colbert resurfaced through a small Michigan public-access station. His new YouTube channel appeared over the weekend and quickly pulled in more than 120,000 subscribers after uploading a video titled “Only In Monroe — May 22, 2026.” The clip features Colbert visiting Monroe Community Media, a local station in the town of Monroe, Michigan (via The Guardian).
During the appearance, Colbert joked about how quickly he returned to television after leaving CBS. “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV,” he said before joking that he was happy to appear on Monroe Community Media, “before they also get acquired by Paramount.” The line referenced Paramount’s recent merger deal involving Skydance Media and executives Larry and David Ellison, who are seen as allies of the current US President Donald Trump.
The launch of the channel comes at a pretty tense moment, especially since Stephen Colbert exited his show during a wave of political and corporate drama surrounding Paramount Global. At the time, Paramount was pushing to secure approval for its Skydance merger while also facing a lawsuit from Donald Trump over a 2024 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount later settled the case and agreed to contribute $16 million toward Trump’s future presidential library, a move Colbert blasted on-air as “a big fat bribe.”
The Monroe appearance sparked another wave of online drama after CBS sent copyright notices to social media users sharing clips from the episode. Critics quickly called out the network, accusing it of trying to kill the viral buzz around the segment. CBS later eased off, explaining that the episode had been made with Stephen Colbert’s involvement and saying further takedowns would be put on hold while the situation was reviewed.
