MoveOn Members Rally to Keep Colbert On-Air

Monday, September 8, was the 10-year anniversary of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and MoveOn members in New York City marked the occasion with a Colbert contest, march, and rally in Manhattan—culminating in a petition delivery outside Paramount’s NYC headquarters. The day was covered in multiple publications and outlets, including The Post and Courier, Reuters, and LateNighter.

CBS cancelled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” earlier this summer, just 72 hours after Colbert called out its owners, Paramount, for its $16 million settlement with Trump, calling it “a big fat bribe.” Why? Because the deal unfolded amid a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance—a merger that required federal approval.

Over the years, Colbert has been a bold and witty voice fearlessly using his platform to call out authoritarianism and corporate greed. And now, Paramount and CBS are giving him the axe for the very commentary that has made him the top-rated late-night show on the air—all so they can curry favor with the Trump administration. That’s why more than 145,000 MoveOn members have signed a petition demanding that Paramount reverse its shady decision and keep Colbert on-air.

On Monday, attendees gathered outside Sacco’s Pizza (one of Colbert’s favorite pizza spots) for a contest where individuals stepped on to a pedestal and gave their best Colbert impression—from his iconic phrases to his scathing monologues. They were judged by celebrity guests, including comedian Negin Farsad, drag queen and activist Peppermint, and public defender and advocate Eliza Orlins.

“Stephen is one of the last people speaking truth to power and helping people get their news at the end of the night without freaking out,” said Josh Burstein, the “Audience Choice” contest winner. “That’s such a valuable service to America. We need more journalists. We need more satirists. We need more Colberts.”

The crowd, led by the Local 802 AFM union band, marched to The Ed Sullivan Theater, where a line of people stretched around the corner were waiting to get into a taping of the show. We sang happy birthday, celebrating 10 years of bold, fearless commentary and calling for 10 more years, followed by chants like “PARAMOUNT BOSSES, RICH AND RUDE—WE DON’T LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE!” and “HEY HEY! HO HO! CORPORATE CORRUPTION HAS GOT TO GO!”

We concluded the day by taking MoveOn member signatures directly to Paramount headquarters, passing by our digital billboard in Times Square along the way.

But this isn’t the end of our campaign—it’s just the beginning. We have eight months to keep up the pressure and urge executives to reverse their decision. Paramount and CBS are hoping the cancellation will get drowned out in the news cycle or swept under the rug. Together, we can remind these corporations who it is they answer to: us.

Download and print our FREE postcards—including one you can color and add your own “Late Show” art to—and deliver support to Colbert and his team as they continue to use their platform to call out Trump, corporate greed, and authoritarianism. And send a postcard to Paramount expressing your disappointment, calling out their corruption, and demanding that they keep Colbert on-air.

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Address your postcards to:

ATTN: David Ellison
Paramount
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
1697 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

*If you have a question, you can also upload your letter to be read on air. Learn more here.

And use the hashtag #KeepColbertOnAir to help spread the word and encourage others to take action with you!

The post MoveOn Members Rally to Keep Colbert On-Air appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.