“This wasn’t cancellation – it was sabotage.” Fox News Howard Kurtz SHOCKS Fox viewers by BACKING Stephen Colbert – says CBS “tarnished itself beyond repair”

What does it mean when Fox News turns against CBS—yet still defends Colbert? That’s the bizarre twist unfolding now, as Howard Kurtz stuns conservative audiences by publicly blaming CBS for its own downfall, accusing execs of “engineering a collapse for optics.”

Don’t miss the stunning rift tearing through TV, media, and the future of late-night itself—read the full story now.

Howard Kurtz believes Trump’s lawsuit had a role to play in Stephen Colbert’s axing(Image: Fox News)

Howard Kurtz remains skeptical that CBS axed Stephen Colbert’s long-running program purely for monetary reasons.

During the weekend, the Fox News anchor criticized CBS’ parent corporation, Paramount, on Media Buzz, alleging it terminated The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to secure favor with President Donald Trump.

In Sunday’s discussion on the matter, Kurtz spoke with Variety’s senior TV editor, Brian Steinberg. He proclaimed, “This is about Shari Redstone, who needs Trump administration approval to have this sale to Skydance go through and make a lot of money, in my view, really tarnishing the network of Murrow and Cronkite. Steinberg agreed, replying, “This is an owner, a controlling shareholder who has to have the deal go through.”

“She is on the verge of financial ruin, I believe, if it doesn’t happen. She’s in, already a hotspot. This company, Paramount, is not doing as great as it once was 20, 30 years ago, and they need a transformative deal to keep her family fortune, as well as her company in business,” he continued.

President Trump sued CBS’ parent company Paramount for $16 million(Image: Getty)

Although Steinberg noted that the late night time slot is simply “not what it once was,” as fewer young viewers opt to watch these programs at night, Kurtz implied there was an underlying motive.

“I’m not buying that blowing up the CBS Late Show had nothing to do with content,” Kurtz insisted, emphasizing, “I mean, Stephen Colbert is the biggest name at CBS. He’s been number one for nine straight years in the late-night ratings, and I don’t think Skydance really cares.”

He further questioned, “Does Skydance think we’re dumb enough to believe there’s nothing to see here?”

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been dropped from CBS(Image: CBS via Getty Images)

Yet, CBS executives have stood firm, asserting that the decision to cancel The Late Show was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” and clarified it was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

Steinberg highlighted to Kurtz that ultimately, “an owner, a controlling shareholder, who has to have a deal go through.”

“She is on the verge of financial ruin I believe if it doesn’t happen, she’s in a really hot spot,” he elaborated, suggesting that Redstone is seeking a “transformative deal.”

The cancellation of Colbert’s Late Show comes shortly after he hit out at Paramount for pandering to the Trump administration to facilitate their acquisition by Skydance, which necessitates the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s approval.

“This all comes as Paramount’s owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance,” Colbert highlighted on his show.

He criticized Paramount for resolving its $16 million lawsuit with Trump following a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, after the MAGA leader charged the network with editing the interview to make her appear more favorable.