Monday, September 8, was the 10-year anniversary of “The Late Present with Stephen Colbert,” and MoveOn members in New York Metropolis marked the event with a Colbert contest, march, and rally in Manhattan—culminating in a petition supply exterior Paramount’s NYC headquarters. The day was lined in a number of publications and retailers, together with The Put up and Courier, Reuters, and LateNighter.
CBS cancelled “The Late Present with Stephen Colbert” earlier this summer time, simply 72 hours after Colbert known as out its homeowners, Paramount, for its $16 million settlement with Trump, calling it “an enormous fats bribe.” Why? As a result of the deal unfolded amid a merger between Paramount World and Skydance—a merger that required federal approval.
Over time, Colbert has been a daring and witty voice fearlessly utilizing his platform to name out authoritarianism and company greed. And now, Paramount and CBS are giving him the axe for the very commentary that has made him the top-rated late-night present on the air—all to allow them to curry favor with the Trump administration. That’s why greater than 145,000 MoveOn members have signed a petition demanding that Paramount reverse its shady resolution and hold Colbert on-air.
On Monday, attendees gathered exterior Sacco’s Pizza (one in every of Colbert’s favourite pizza spots) for a contest the place people stepped on to a pedestal and gave their greatest Colbert impression—from his iconic phrases to his scathing monologues. They had been judged by celeb company, together with comic Negin Farsad, drag queen and activist Peppermint, and public defender and advocate Eliza Orlins.
“Stephen is likely one of the final individuals talking fact to energy and serving to individuals get their information on the finish of the evening with out freaking out,” stated Josh Burstein, the “Viewers Alternative” contest winner. “That’s such a beneficial service to America. We want extra journalists. We want extra satirists. We want extra Colberts.”
The gang, led by the Native 802 AFM union band, marched to The Ed Sullivan Theater, the place a line of individuals stretched across the nook had been ready to get right into a taping of the present. We sang completely happy birthday, celebrating 10 years of daring, fearless commentary and calling for 10 extra years, adopted by chants like “PARAMOUNT BOSSES, RICH AND RUDE—WE DON’T LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE!” and “HEY HEY! HO HO! CORPORATE CORRUPTION HAS GOT TO GO!”
We concluded the day by taking MoveOn member signatures on to Paramount headquarters, passing by our digital billboard in Instances Sq. alongside the way in which.
However this isn’t the tip of our marketing campaign—it’s only the start. Now we have eight months to maintain up the stress and urge executives to reverse their resolution. Paramount and CBS are hoping the cancellation will get drowned out within the information cycle or swept beneath the rug. Collectively, we will remind these firms who it’s they reply to: us.
Obtain and print our FREE postcards—together with one you may coloration and add your personal “Late Present” artwork to—and ship help to Colbert and his workforce as they proceed to make use of their platform to name out Trump, company greed, and authoritarianism. And ship a postcard to Paramount expressing your disappointment, calling out their corruption, and demanding that they hold Colbert on-air.
Tackle your postcards to:
ATTN: David Ellison
Paramount
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
The Late Present with Stephen Colbert
1697 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
*When you have a query, you may also add your letter to be learn on air. Study extra right here.
And use the hashtag #KeepColbertOnAir to assist unfold the phrase and encourage others to take motion with you!
