Muted: The Death of Dissent on Network TV
How CBS, ABC, and NBC neutered their most critical voices, and what happens when free broadcast media bows to power.
On Thursday, July 17, 2025, during a live taping of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert stunned his studio audience by announcing that the show would end its run in May 2026. He told the audience he had been informed the previous evening. The reaction was immediate: boos, gasps, and confusion. Later that night, Colbert also posted the news on social media.
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