Shari Redstone doesn’t see a vivid future for late night time. Talking Thursday at Axios’ Media Tendencies Reside occasion, the previous Paramount International chair mentioned that exhibits like CBS’ “The Late Present With Stephen Colbert” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Reside!” have been “financially not viable” and “it had been that manner for a very long time.”
“I can let you know that we had been taking a look at late night time,” she mentioned of CBS and its mum or dad firm’s choice to cease airing “The Late Present” in Might 2026. “It was financially not viable, it had been that manner for a very long time. We had decided months previous to the announcement that we weren’t going to be going ahead with that present. I really like Stephen. He does an ideal job, however we actually wanted to be in a financially worthwhile enterprise. And also you noticed we did that with James Corden as properly.”
Her feedback got here in dialog with Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer on the stay occasion, simply as late night time TV got here beneath heightened scrutiny but once more amid ABC’s indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. Whereas sources at Disney have advised TheWrap that the manufacturing pause will not be meant to be a cancellation, whether or not or not the Disney-owned community’s late night time host returns stays to be seen.
Watch Redstone’s look on the Axios occasion beneath:
Redstone was requested within the 15-minute interview about ABC taking Kimmel’s late night time showcase the air for saying in Monday’s broadcast that Trump and his supporters have been attempting “desperately” to characterize the shooter who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk as “something aside from one among them.”
“I don’t know the entire info across the choice that was made,” Redstone mentioned. “I don’t have the historical past, I don’t have the context, so I’m actually not going to talk to why ABC made the choice, or whether or not it – not due to Trump or due to every other causes. However I do suppose all of us must be considerate of the content material we’re placing on air, given the division that exists on this nation. And that’s not a direct reflection on Kimmel. That’s simply a much wider reflection on the world we’re dwelling in.”
The manager, who simply joined Israeli studio Sipur as chair of the board this week, was additionally longing for the way forward for CBS Information beneath Paramount’s new proprietor David Ellison. Chatting with talks of Ellison’s potential acquisition of Bari Weiss’ The Free Press, Redstone mentioned Weiss could be “a very good voice” for the community.
“I do know there’s been speak about Bari, and I feel she could be a very good voice, so I’m hopeful,” she mentioned. “I’m not going to enter it from a enterprise standpoint, however I do suppose she’s a voice that may carry a unique perspective. After which I feel on the finish of the day, you’ve obtained to present your viewers credit score for being good sufficient to listen to totally different factors of view and with the ability to slim down on the info.”
Redstone added: “We’ve gotten to the purpose the place information must be extra balanced. It must be fact-based. I feel that individuals’s opinions are getting confused with the info, and I feel we nonetheless have the identical problem we had earlier than, which is we’d like extra accountability, we’d like extra requirements, we’d like checks and balances, and now we have to return to a spot the place info are what the information is about, and opinions will not be info. And by the way in which, you possibly can have opinions, however then it’s worthwhile to have folks with totally different opinions and totally different sides, so folks can hear the whole lot.”
Weiss’ The Free Press has reportedly been eyed by Paramount for $200 million, however a person with data advised TheWrap earlier this month the sale value was anticipated to be decrease than that. If the publication is acquired, it’s possible Weiss could be put in a management function at CBS Information, TheWrap beforehand reported.
