Colbert Finale Leaves CBS Footing the Bill for Charlie Brown Music

Posted in: CBS, TV | Tagged: charlie brown, stephen colbert

Colbert Finale Leaves CBS Footing the Bill for Charlie Brown Music

Following his exit from his late-night show, Stephen Colbert left CBS to pick up the tab for playing Charlie Brown music without permission.

Published Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:37:09 -0500
by Gavin Sheehan
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Article Summary

• Stephen Colbert’s final CBS episodes included one last jab: playing Peanuts theme music without a license.
• During “Meanwhile,” Colbert joked CBS might get billed after Louis Cato played Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy.”
• Lee Mendelson Film Productions confirmed CBS reached a licensing agreement and paid over the unauthorized music use.
• The amount remains undisclosed, but the CBS payment will be donated to World Central Kitchen after The Late Show ended.

Stephen Colbert isn't done sending a few P.S. notes to his exit from CBS, as the network will have to pay for a decision he made on the way out the door. As you may recall, Colbert's last weeks saw him do a few outlandish and impressive things to stick it to CBS and remind the network of what they were canceling, including having Dave Letterman on to toss furniture and food off the roof, which they had not done at the Ed Sullivan Theater since Letterman retired. But one of the biggest hits on the way out was playing a bit of unlicensed music.

Colbert Wouldn't Want To Get Anyone In Trouble…

During his last show, Colbert's "Meanwhile" segment covered how the owner of all the Peanuts-Charlie Brown music, primarily written and recorded by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, was suing multiple entities for unlicensed use of the catalog. Which then prompted The Late Show's bandleader, Louis Cato, to start playing the iconic "Linus and Lucy" theme most people associate with the cartoons. To which Colbert replied, "Oh no, I hope this doesn't cost CBS any money!" An extra jab for the network, saying they were saving money by canceling the show.

Turns out that move will actually cost CBS money, as Lee Mendelson Film Productions, the company that owns the rights to the music, sent out a press release stating that CBS did, in fact, pay the fine for using the music. While the total amount they agreed upon was not disclosed, we do know the money will be donated to the World Central Kitchen, which The Late Show already donated $2.5 million to before production wrapped. If you're not familiar with the organization, WCK sends food around the world to areas affected by various crises, ranging from natural disasters to unrest.

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