A deliberate rally in New York Metropolis to indicate assist for outgoing “Late Present” host Stephen Colbert fizzled out on Sunday, with fewer than two dozen demonstrators turning up and police packing up not lengthy after the gathering started. The protest, known as “We’re With Colbert,” was held outdoors the CBS Broadcast Middle on Manhattan’s West Aspect. Organisers claimed it was a part of a nationwide name to defend “integrity” in media and freedom of speech. “Our nation will not be good, by no means has been,” mentioned the occasion’s organiser, who recognized himself solely as Matt, going by the nickname “Slim.” “However we’ve all the time had the First Modification, and now Mango Mussolini is making an attempt to take that from us,” he added, utilizing a derogatory nickname for US President Donald Trump. The occasion adopted CBS’s choice to axe The Late Present with Stephen Colbert in Could 2026, citing falling viewership and declining earnings. The 61-year-old host has regularly taken intention at Trump on his programme, prompting hypothesis that the cancellation was extra political than monetary. “This can be a First Modification assault,” one protester instructed the New York Put up. “We are able to’t stand for that.”Per week earlier, CBS’s mother or father firm not too long ago accomplished an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, a deal that required federal approval and was finalised shortly after Colbert was instructed this season can be his final. Colbert’s present has additionally confronted criticism from conservative commentators for perceived political bias. In accordance with MRC NewsBusters, a right-leaning media watchdog, the programme featured 176 liberal company and only one Republican between 2022 and 2025. Regardless of the meant message of Sunday’s demonstration, many of the attendees had left inside minutes, leaving little greater than an empty sidewalk and bemused NYPD officers.
