After Stephen Colbert's viral talk show parody, CBS backs down from copyright action

Culture After Stephen Colbert's viral talk show parody, CBS backs down from copyright action May 25, 20263:58 PM ET Brian Mann Stephen Colbert attended The Hollywood Reporter's The Most Powerful People in New York Media celebration in New York earlier this month. After being ousted from his hosting role on The Late Show, Colbert hosted a local cable access show in Monroe, Michigan. Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Invision hide caption toggle caption Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Invision CBS and parent company Paramount have backed away from efforts to limit reposting of Stephen Colbert's mock appearance as host of a Michigan public access show called "Only In Monroe." Colbert posted the hour-long parody a day after being ousted from his nearly 11-year-long run at "The Late Show." "It's been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV," Colbert joked during the program. "So I am grateful to be here on Monroe Community Media, before they also get acquired by Paramount." Sponsor Message Television Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' ends with a swan song and a giant wormhole The deadpan appearance, which featured rockstar Jack White as an even more deadpan sidekick, quickly went viral. The program was reposted widely on Youtube and other social media platforms, leading CBS to initially fire off copyright protection notices. "Paramount is apparently trying to suppress copies of "Only in Monroe" from appearing on other social platforms by filing frivolous copyright notices," wrote long-time media reporter Matthew Keys Sunday on X. In a statement to NPR on Monday, CBS said that Colbert's "Only In Monroe" episode was "financed and produced by CBS studios" and was approved for distribution on only three Youtube channels: The Late Show, Monroe Community Media and Colbert's personal channel. "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,...