CBS pauses – CBS backed off takedown pressure after Stephen Colbert’s surprise return to a Michigan local access show led to copyright notices being sent to YouTube channels sharing the episode. The network said it would pause enforcement while reviewing the claims.
Stephen Colbert signed off from “The Late Show” on CBS, then turned around less than a full day later and walked back onto a very different kind of TV stage.
On May 22, after wrapping up an 11-year run, the comedian appeared on “Only in Monroe,” a Michigan-based local access show. Colbert had guest-hosted it before, and he had later taken over David Letterman’s CBS slot in 2015. This time, though, the return landed with a second, unexpected headline: copyright notices sent to YouTube channels posting the episode.
CBS has now paused those takedown actions, at least temporarily. In a statement provided to MISRYOUM, the network said it was holding off on enforcement while it reviews the situation.
“As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorized websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent such as Stephen Colbert,” CBS said. The network added that it would waive enforcement to allow time for further review.
CBS also said the “Only in Monroe” segment was produced by CBS, and that the episode had been posted on YouTube channels for Colbert, “The Late Show” and Monroe Community Media.
That dispute landed right after Colbert’s emotional sendoff to viewers. At the top of the “Only in Monroe” broadcast, he referenced the end of his CBS franchise and the short gap between goodbyes.
“Since I was last here in Monroe, Michigan, I spent 11 years as the primary host of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ on CBS, which came to an end last night,” Colbert told the audience. “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV.”
For the episode, Colbert brought along high-wattage Michigan names—Jack White and Jeff Daniels as in-studio guests—and packed the program with cameos from Eminem and Steve Buscemi. He also called “The Late Show” successor Byron Allen, jokingly warning, “Michigan public access is coming for you.”
Colbert’s local-access move wasn’t entirely out of the blue. The night before. during his final monologue on “The Late Show. ” he said. “Technically our first show back in July of 2015 was from a public access station in Monroe. Michigan. for an audience of 12 people. ” adding that. with how show business works. “it’s probably where you’ll see me next.”.
The sequence now runs into a familiar tension: a moment that was billed as a return to local TV—yet triggered broad copyright enforcement online. CBS’s decision to hold off on takedown notices pending review leaves a key question hanging over how the network will treat the episode once the review is complete.
Stephen Colbert The Late Show CBS copyright claims YouTube local access TV Only in Monroe Monroe Community Media Byron Allen Jack White Jeff Daniels