As a late night TV aficionado, it was inevitable that Bill Simmons was going to have some thoughts on the news that CBS is ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Taking to X on Thursday night, the Sports Guy provided just that, mocking the network’s statement announcing that it is cancelling the long-running late night show.
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” the statement, which Simmons reposted, reads. “It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
In addition to the statement, The Ringer founder added a gif of Leslie Nielsen’s “nothing to see here” scene from The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” top CBS executives said in a statement announcing the news. “It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” pic.twitter.com/VXp4zWeT1e
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 18, 2025
As for the “performance” portion of the statement, it’s worth noting it was recently revealed that The Late Show was the highest-rated late night show of the second quarter of 2025. Yet despite the program’s apparent success, it’s now coming to an end, with the announcement coming just a few weeks after CBS’ parent company, Paramount, agreed to pay President Donald Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit regarding the editing practices on 60 Minutes.
Based on his gif usage with regard to the statement, Simmons isn’t buying it and he’d hardly be the first person to draw a connection between the lawsuit settlement, Paramount Global’s impending sale to Skydance Media and the cancellation of the left-leaning Late Show. It’s also worth noting that Simmons and Colbert share the same agent in James “Baby Doll” Dixon, who appeared on an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast earlier this year.
Between his own affinity for late night television and his professional connection to Colbert, this is obviously a story that is right up Simmons’ alley. And one would only imagine that he’ll be addressing it at-length at some point in a future episode of his eponymous podcast.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.