CBS stops its effort to halt sharing of Colbert's public access show appearance after massive backlash [View all]

Source: The Independent

Monday 25 May 2026 10:47 EDT


CBS slapped online users with requests that videos must be removed after they shared footage of Stephen Colbert’s surprise return to late-night television Friday, before the network swiftly backtracked on its copyright threats.

Colbert thrilled fans just 24 hours after his departure from The Late Show by appearing as the host of Only in Monroe, the same local access show in Michigan he commandeered for one night shortly before starting his stint on the CBS program 11 years ago. Short clips and full uploads of the episode, which featured musician Jack White, a skit from actor Steve Buscemi, and a cameo from Eminem, were posted online before Colbert launched his own official YouTube channel, beating him to the punch.

Media outlet The Desk was among the publications struck with a copyright infringement notice after its upload of the episode received more than 700,000 views. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the owner of the content can request that a website take down the content if it was posted without permission.

“Paramount is apparently trying to suppress copies of ‘Only in Monroe’ from appearing on other social platforms by filing frivolous copyright notices, even though the show was produced by a public access TV channel and doesn't use their intellectual property…,” The Desk’s founder editor Matthew Keys wrote early on Sunday in a post on X. Following backlash, CBS said in a statement to Variety that it was waiving the notices while it reviewed the situation.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/cbs-copyright-stephen-colbert-michigan-show-b2983152.html