Staff Reports
In a world where microaggressions can cause macro headaches, the unpredictable realm of late-night TV and the unforgiving gauntlet of politics have collided yet again, much like peanut butter smashing into chocolate – except this time, nobody’s lining up to find out what the confectioner conspired to create. You see, much to the satisfaction of some and the dismay of others, CBS has decided to pull the plug on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” It seems the quirky comedian turned political pundit isn’t so much riding off into the sunset as he is being politely guided toward the exit sign.
Once upon a time, when the likes of Johnny Carson and Jay Leno reigned supreme, late-night TV was America’s beloved nocturnal amusement park, where viewers were invited to ride the rollicking rollercoaster of satire and absurdity. However, it seems the more recent pilots of this pastiche, including Mr. Colbert, steered the ship a bit too far towards the political iceberg, leaving behind the joyful Ferris wheel of balanced humor. By switching lanes from comedy to a sort of recurring left-leaning lecture series, Colbert sparked a nightly partisan war of words.
Donald Trump, never one to shy away from a bout of litigation, is busy battling media behemoths in court, including a recent lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. CBS’s decision to nix Colbert’s late-night antics comes on the heels of this legal drama. Trump’s tax-evading toupee must be positively gleaming with the news headlines aligning in such a curiously convenient triptych of events – almost like the comedic timing of a classic, well-placed joke.
It’s a wonder, perhaps, that Colbert’s humor didn’t resonate with everyone. The man who had once charmed audiences with wit galloped gallantly into echo chambers of political posturing, leaving half the country feeling more irked than entertained. In fairness, late-night comedy has always danced on the double-edged sword of satire, but there’s a distinct difference between a nimble waltz and an uncoordinated stumble. Colbert, it appears, found himself engaged in the latter, ultimately tripping over his own ideological shoelaces.
As the curtain draws on Colbert’s televised stage presence, rumors flutter about other late-night hosts meeting a similar fate. The fate of comedy as an egalitarian mirror unto the world seems uncertain when it takes partisan sides. But just like spring following the winter’s thaw, a new generation of comedians, unburdened by the shackles of corporate conformity, await their cue. As CBS and other networks reevaluate the content that graces their late-night slots, perhaps the future holds a return to balanced satire that isn’t afraid to poke fun at everyone – an equal opportunity jester reminding each of us to chuckle at our own follies, regardless of which side we sit on.
