Why Are People Canceling Paramount Plus? It Comes Down to Stephen Colbert and Donald Trump
The message is this: it's time to do something, before it's too late.
Updated July 22 2025, 2:06 p.m. ET
Cancel culture is a very real phenomenon. When a person or corporation does something that the public consciousness disagrees with, they can very quickly find themselves on the wrong end of an internet crusade, which might include unfollowing them on social media or refusing to shop with their company, depending on who and what was involved.
And then there are streaming services.
Paramount Plus and CBS came under fire in July 2025 after they made a surprise move with one of late-night television's most beloved comedians. As a result, thousands of Paramount Plus subscribers, if not more, have opted to cancel their subscription in protest.
But what was the incident that started it all? It came down to a joke at the expense of President Donald Trump and a very unrepentant comedian: Stephen Colbert.
Why are people canceling Paramount Plus?
It all started with Stephen doing what comedians and late-night hosts do best: roasting the President of the United States. Stephen, who once pretended to be staunchly Republican in order to satirize the party for his Colbert Show era, has been an outspoken and unflinching critic of Trump.
Apparently, however, he took it too far. On July 16, 2025, Stephen told his Late Show audience, “Next year will be our last season." He added, "I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away."
A few days prior, Stephen had joked to audiences that he was “offended” by a $16 million settlement reached by Paramount with Trump. The President had sued Paramount Global over how they chose to edit a 60 Minutes interview of former Democratic candidate for President, Kamala Harris. Paramount chose to settle, which Stephen clearly didn't like (via Fortune).
As a result, fans everywhere are calling for a boycott of Paramount Plus and CBS services.
But proponents of the boycott say this goes beyond supporting one comedian. They say this is about free speech and ensuring media companies don't "cave" to government bullies.
Late night hosts are rallying around Stephen, and offering one unified message.
And fans of Stephen and the right to free speech are being joined in their efforts by an unsurprising group of people: other late night comedians.
For the July 21, 2025 show of Stephen's Late Night, comedians Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers attended. Also in the audience was Al Yankovic, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Hugh Laurie, and Adam Sandler.
But Jon Stewart took it a step further, writing an entire song in ode to his thoughts on companies caving in to pressure from the government to restrict free speech.
He called the song, which included a choir and an enthusiastically dancing Jon Stewart, "Go F**** Yourself."
It was reminiscent of Stephen's admonishment for President Trump to "go f*** himself" over the whole CBS lawsuit.
While it's unclear if public pressure and input from other important celebrity figures will impact CBS's decision to cancel Stephen's show, one thing is clear: people are starting to get fed up.
If all it takes is a lawsuit from the government for one media company to silence a comedian, the very essence of free speech is at risk.
So while canceling Paramount Plus is a personal decision that should be left up to individuals, the overarching message online is this: it's time to do something, before it's too late.