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Viral staff photo reveals just how bloated Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' operation really was
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Fox News contributor Joe Concha offers a sharp critique of Stephen Colbert's exit from 'The Late Show,' following strong social media comments from President Trump. Concha reveals the show's high staff count, predictable anti-Trump monologues and significant financial losses for CBS, arguing its focus on "social justice" led to declining viewership and a loss of humor. With "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" coming to an unceremonious end earlier this week, tributes continue to pour in on social media memorializing Colbert and his decade-plus run on CBS. Everyone from former Vice President Kamala Harris to Bruce Springsteen offered up kind words and even guest musical appearances, respectively, to show how much the late-night talk show meant both to them, and entertainment in general. CBS announced it will end "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in 2026, surprising the media and entertainment industries. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images) Hell, even the Democrats themselves posted on their X account about how thankful they are to have witnessed such a true comedic genius like Colbert ply his craft on national television. WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK AFTER ROBERT DE NIRO, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TAKE TRUMP SWIPES AMID COLBERT'S FAREWELL WEEK It's bizarre that a show that was seemingly so popular came to such an abrupt end, but if you really wanted a glimpse into one of the reasons why "The Late Show" wasn't working out for CBS (other than the fact that large swaths of the country didn't want to watch a DNC mouthpiece masquerading as a comedian), you will find it in a staff photo that is now going viral on social media. Stephen Colbert appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during the July 21, 2025, broadcast. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images) Longtime CNN correspondent (hey, look, another Democrat), Brian Stelter, has been going through his own stages of grief over the loss of "The Late Show," posting everything from heartfelt thank-yous to Colbert and co. to shaking his fist at that evil orange man, Donald Trump. And it's in one of those tribute pictures that we see just how bloated the staff for "The Late Show" really was. You're telling me this corpulent crew was losing CBS $40 million a year? Yeah, I can actually believe that. Seriously, this is the team of people it took to write such masterful comedic salvos as "Skibidi Biden?" It takes fewer people to launch a rocket into outer space than it did for Colbert and his team to fart out a couple of lame jokes about Trump being a Putin shill. This should really put into perspective how this whole operation was doomed to failure. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Bruce Springsteen and Robert De Niro were among more than a dozen celebrities who showed up for Colbert's second-to-last show, including, Amy Sedaris, John Dickerson, James Taylor, Billy Crystal, Jeff Daniels, Weird Al Yankovic, Josh Brolin, Tiffany Haddish, Martha Stewart, Aubrey Plaza, Jim Gaffigan, Ben Stiller, Mark Hamill and Evie Colbert on Wednesday. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty Images) If shows with a quarter of the budget can get better ratings, then it doesn't matter how many DNC figureheads come to Colbert's defense. Money talks and BS walks. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP If Colbert is as popular as the Democrats tell us he is, then he should have no problem landing on his feet with a new show of his own. I'm sure we will all be lining up around the block to check it out, too. Austin Perry is a writer for OutKick. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox Subscribed You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!