CBS Under Fire For Removing Stephen Colbert Clips From YouTube

Stephen Colbert returned to Only in Monroe, a small program based in Michigan that he had once guest hosted years before becoming David Letterman’s replacement on CBS in 2015.

26 May 2026, 15:31 · NDTV

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Stephen Colbert returned to Only in Monroe, a small program based in Michigan that he had once guest hosted years before becoming David Letterman’s replacement on CBS in 2015.
CBS claimed Stephen Colbert’s appearance was officially produced by them, leading the company to remove unauthorised uploads from the platform.
After receiving criticism, CBS later said they’d step back and stop taking further action against the uploaded video

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Stephen Colbert surprised fans with an unexpected TV appearance just one day after ending The Late Show. The comedian returned to Only in Monroe, a small program based in Michigan that he had once guest hosted years before becoming David Letterman's replacement on CBS in 2015.

The surprise episode quickly gained attention online and many viewers shared clips or full episodes on YouTube. But soon after, CBS faced criticism when copyright notices were reportedly sent to several channels posting the episode. According to reports, the network claimed Colbert's appearance was officially produced by CBS, leading the company to remove unauthorised uploads from the platform.

After receiving criticism, CBS later said they'd step back and stop taking further action against the uploaded videos.

A spokesperson told Variety, “Stephen Colbert's return to Monroe in the ‘Only in Monroe' episode was financed and produced by CBS Studios and was posted on Stephen Colbert's YouTube channel in collaboration with Monroe Community Media and ‘The Late Show's' YouTube channels. As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorised websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent such as Stephen Colbert. However, for this episode, we have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review.”

According to insiders, Paramount and CBS were not trying to stop people from watching Stephen Colbert's Only in Monroe episode. The company had paid and supported the production of the special episode, which also featured music from Jack White and an appearance by actor Jeff Daniels. Because the episode was produced with CBS involvement, the copyright rights are connected to The Late Show, which is why the company handled the issue of protecting and managing the video online.

Stephen Colbert first appeared as a guest host on Only in Monroe in 2015. During that time, he had just finished The Colbert Report but was yet to start hosting The Late Show.

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