Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert shared a laugh—and a pointed lesson—about being fired by Paramount, trading stories about “s–t-canning,” last-guest advice, and the moment Colbert’s final week on CBS finally arrived.
Jon Stewart didn’t need much time to get the band back together—at least, not with Stephen Colbert.
Onstage during Stewart’s discussion of “The Jon Stewart Show. ” the comedian recalled being “s–t-canned” by Paramount. then joked that the industry probably has a cleaner term for it now. “The term back back then was ‘s–t-canned.’ I don’t know what they call it now. ” Stewart said. remembering that his show ran from 1993 to 1995 and was syndicated under the then-Paramount Domestic Television.
He described the final stretch in blunt, uncomfortable detail: “We had two more weeks to go, and they put security guards at all the exits … We didn’t have anything of value.”
Colbert, whose final show airs on Thursday on CBS, leaned into the shared history, asking, “That was Paramount, too, right?”
Stewart answered with a simple, sharp: “Son of a bitch, yes.” Then he added the moment that stuck with him. “Let me tell you what happened. So, [Paramount Skydance CEO] David Ellison was eight years old at the time, and he walks into my office.”
What started as a joke grew into something closer to a reminder. Stewart said his show “spiraled so out of control” during the final weeks. then recalled advice he received from David Letterman. describing it as “very profound.” Stewart quoted Letterman saying. “Don’t confuse cancelation with failure.” But he also remembered the second half of the thought: “But in this case it is also a failure.”.
After that, Stewart shifted his focus to Colbert’s world—specifically the people building “The Late Show.” He praised Colbert’s staff as “so game” for whatever they were pitching, adding that Colbert once told him, “Get yourself in trouble.”
“It’s an ethos about challeng[ing] yourself creatively, do all these things, and they would always do that,” Stewart said. Then he admitted he wasn’t wired for long-term planning, joking, “And I am, as you know, famously not a particularly good long-term planner, so I would challenge them.”
Stewart’s send-off plan came up, too. He joked that he was “not talented,” explaining he hadn’t prepared a song or bit to send Colbert on his way. Instead, he told Colbert’s team to bring something else—two Barcaloungers—as a gift.
“You deserve a gift that befits the sacrifice and work that you have put into this show,” Stewart said, “and that can show you the life you can lead, and the life that I am leading now that I’m not really in show business.”
Then came the final flourish. After Stewart and Colbert settled into the oversized seats, Stewart called for singer Andra Day to join them onstage. Day performed “Rise Up” as the interview wrapped.
The conversation landed on a week that already had an official ending built in. In January, CBS locked in the final air date for “The Late Show,” setting it for May 21. The decision followed CBS’ announcement last summer that the show would end shortly after Colbert mocked Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. describing it as a “big fat bribe.”.
CBS executives had said at the time that the cancellation decision was purely a financial one. “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on CBS.
Jon Stewart Stephen Colbert Paramount The Late Show The Jon Stewart Show David Letterman Andra Day Rise Up CBS May 21 late night TV
Paramount really put security at the exits? sounds kinda dramatic for tv stuff.
So they got fired and then just… joked about it? I don’t get it. Like if the lesson is don’t confuse cancellation with failure, then isn’t it literally failure though? Also why is David Ellison even involved, he was a kid.
I saw a clip that said “s–t-canning” and I immediately knew it was Paramount. But wait, was Stewart on CBS too? I thought this was about Colbert getting fired, like CBS fired him not Paramount Skydance or whatever. Either way, the whole “security guards at all the exits” thing is wild.
This sounds like rich people problems. “Don’t confuse cancellation with failure” bro that’s literally what happens when a network cancels you. Also they keep saying Paramount but half these companies rebrand every 3 months so who even knows. David Letterman advice is always like, super deep, then it turns out they got wrecked anyway. I’m sure it’s funny but still, getting “s–t-canned” at any age is brutal.