Dave Portnoy has savaged ‘arrogant’ Stephen Colbert and his high-profile supporters in a brutal rant after CBS axed the anchor’s late-night talk show.
The network announced on Thursday that the ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ is being cancelled. It came just days after the host blasted the network’s $16million settlement with President Trump as a ‘big fat bribe.’
CBS branded Colbert ‘irreplaceable’ and said his show ‘will be remembered in the pantheon of greats’. The network said theirs was ‘purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.’
Left-wing politicians Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are among those to question whether Colbert has – in fact – paid for his criticism of Trump.
But reports have since emerged that Colbert’s show lost $40million a year and has a staff of around 200 people.
And on Saturday Portnoy hit out at the suggestion that the president ‘forced’ CBS’ hand, with the Barstool boss insisting: ‘What did you think was going to happen? Of course they fired you, I’d fire you in a f***ing heartbeat.’
‘For these people – including Colbert – to be like: “This isn’t right, we’re blindsided…” Buddy, you’re losing $40m a year. You have 200 people creating one show,’ Portnoy said.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been canceled days after the host blasted the network’s settlement with President Donald Trump
‘We have 200 people at Barstool creating like 30 shows. And some of them, the bigger ones, draw a bigger audience than Colbert.’
Earlier this week, Colbert went nuclear on his parent corporation, Paramount, after the company settled a bombshell lawsuit with Trump for $16million.
Trump had accused Paramount’s network, CBS, of falsely editing an interview with Kamala Harris before the presidential election.
The network did not admit any journalistic wrongdoing but the settlement will cover Trump’s legal fees and his future presidential library.
Paramount also agreed to release unedited transcripts of 60 Minutes interviews with presidential candidates.
Colbert said he was ‘offended’ by the actions of his employer and that he didn’t know ‘if anything will ever repair my trust in this company.’
But Portnoy defended CBS, insisting: ‘If one of my employees, who I was paying $16m a year, while losing $40m a year, went on their show and said: “I don’t like or trust Dave,” do you know what I would do?’
Bernie Sanders is among those who have questioned CBS over the decision in recent days
He then performed a slit-throat gesture.
‘Welcome to the real f**king world… this isn’t about his politics, I don’t love Colbert, I don’t think he’s funny… but buddy you’re losing $40m a year and then you have the arrogance to go hammer your own company.
‘What did you think was going to happen? Of course they fired you, I’d fire you in a f***ing heartbeat. That’s not politics, that’s just being ungrateful.
‘So Elizabeth Warren, Comrade Bernie: Zip it. This is called capitalism in the real world. If you’re losing 40m a year, you better shut up and be a good soldier and thank your lucky stars you still have a job.’
