EXCLUSIVE: CBS Mornings' Last Laugh on Stephen Colbert — How Show Bosses Completely Ignored 'Late Show' Host's Long Goodbye
EXCLUSIVE: CBS Mornings' Last Laugh on Stephen Colbert — How Show Bosses Completely Ignored 'Late Show' Host's Long Goodbye
Aaron Johnson Thu, June 18, 2026 at 10:23 AM UTC
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CBS Mornings reportedly overlooked Stephen Colbert's lengthy 'Late Show' farewell amid network tensions.MEGA
Funnyman Stephen Colbert's final Late Show episode was ignored on-air by colleagues onCBS Mornings on orders from network news honcho Tom Cibrowski, sources told RadarOnline.com.
The daytime show's emcees, Gayle King, Nate Burleson and fill-in host Major Garrett, zipped their lips and didn't cover the end of Colbert's 11-year run.
Colbert Sketch Sparks CBS Backlash
Sources claimed Tom Cibrowski ordered 'CBS Morning' hosts Gayle King, Nate Burleson and Major Garrett not to mention Stephen Colbert's final 'Late Show' episode.Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA
King, however, did gush on her personal Instagram account: "I can't imagine late night without Stephen @colbert."
Insiders said the directive was issued because CBS News President Cibrowski was rubbed the wrong way by a May 14 Late Show sketch that mocked the network's Evening News anchor, Tony Dokoupil, for failing to obtain a visa in time for President Donald Trump's state visit to China and instead broadcasting from nearly 1,000 miles away in Taiwan.
The clip depicted Dokoupil as a man with a pumpkin on his head, along with the description "live from wrong China," and skewered CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss by portraying her as a baseball bat-wielding biddy.
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But sources said the apparent dust-up is just one of many problems piling up at the Tiffany Network as Weiss revamps the ratings-challenged news division – changes that critics have characterized as shifting to appease conservatives.
Dokoupil's CBS Evening News managed to attract 4 million viewers for the first time in weeks during the five-day period that ended May 22 – but still trailed its broadcast rivals on ABC and NBC.
Another Blow for CBS News
A 'Late Show' sketch mocking Tony Dokoupil reportedly fueled tensions between Colbert and CBS News leadership.ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Meanwhile, 60 Minutes – the storied CBS newsmagazine – has experienced a talent drain.
Correspondent Anderson Cooper recently left after nearly two decades, claiming he wanted more time with his kids, and journalist Sharyn Alfonsi's contract was not renewed – causing her to depart nearly six months after her segment on a brutal Salvadoran prison housing U.S.-deported Venezuelans was temporarily pulled, a move that she alleged was made for "political" reasons.
CBS Fans Demand Weiss Ouster
Viewers criticized Bari Weiss' leadership of CBS News, with some blaming her for declining ratings and changes at the network.THEFREEPRESS/YOUTUBE
One watcher fumes: "Bari Weiss should be fired. All she has done is make CBS terrible. Ratings way down. I don't watch CBS news anymore, watched for about 30 years."
Citing three iconic CBS figures, another viewer said: "Murrow, Cronkite and Paley are rolling in their graves."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
