CBS has dropped its copyright action against Stephen Colbert's parody of a Michigan public access show after it went viral. Colbert's mock show aired shortly after his departure from 'The Late Show.'
Key points
CBS backed down from copyright action against Colbert
Colbert's parody aired after his ousting from 'The Late Show'
The show is titled 'Only In Monroe'
Colbert hosted the parody on a local cable access channel
He humorously commented on his brief absence from TV
Mentioned in this story
Stephen ColbertCBSParamount
Only In Monroe
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.
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
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."
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," the statement said. "However, for this episode, [we] have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review."
Colbert, a frequent and outspoken critic of President Trump, ended his run as host of "The Late Show" on Friday with a star-studded cast that included Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney.
His appearance on "Only In Monroe" drew much of its humor from the stark contrast as Colbert stepped from one of the most influential posts in television to a humble local TV set. Guests talked about bigfoot sightings in Michigan and actor Jeff Daniels made sandwiches and presented the town's community calendar.
At one point during the "Monroe" appearance, Colbert phoned Byron Allen, host of "Comics Unleashed," the show which CBS has dropped into the old Late Show slot. Allen answered and said, "Is Stephen Colbert the best or what?"
During an interview with NPR's Newsmakers podcast, Allen told host Ailsa Chang that Colbert is "an American treasure" but said his show would steer clear of the political comedy that came to define the Late Show during the Colbert era.
"Not everybody's gonna love me," Allen said. "But there is that one or two percent that would be like 'hell yeah, I'm rolling with you' and I learned that at an early age, and by the way, that simple lesson made me a billionaire."
