Dear MoveOn member,
When Paramount Global settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump—paying him money for his false and frivolous claims that a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris was deceptively edited in her favor—"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" host Stephen Colbert rightly called it a "big fat bribe."1,2 After all, Paramount was looking for federal approval for a huge media deal—and seemed eager to grease the wheels for their corporate coffers.
Shortly after Colbert's honest and incisive critique, CBS, whose parent company is Paramount, announced that it was canceling Colbert's show.
And just days after CBS and Paramount appeased Trump by silencing Colbert, the Trump administration's Federal Communications Commission approved an $8 billion deal between Paramount Global and Skydance Media.3
This is censorship of cultural figures who dare to speak out against the unethical actions of our government, and it's an unmistakable and perilous gateway to authoritarianism.4
We've seen major media companies, CEOs, and other civic institutions all bend the knee to Trump—for their own profits or to capitulate to his petty demands. But this time, Colbert—who was willing to use his platform to offer important critiques of the would-be tyrant and his own corporate bosses—stood firm … and has millions of fans at his back.
MoveOn members and the public are outraged that CBS and Paramount are toeing the line to please Trump and silencing facts and Colbert's right to free speech. More than 128,000 people have already signed MoveOn's petition demanding that the cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" be reversed.
Now, MoveOn is rushing to put up a billboard in Times Square in the heart of New York City—right where Paramount Global and the public can see it—demanding that it put Colbert back on the air, celebrating Colbert for his brave and principled work, and pushing back on those who would silence us ... if we can raise the money.
Will you start a monthly donation of $5 for our efforts to hold accountable the corporations bowing to Trump's whims and to help us get our billboard up in Times Square to demand that CBS bring back "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"?
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
On his show, Colbert fights against the misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies brought forth by Trump, his cronies, and his administration. In this cultural and political moment, when facts are obscured more than ever, taking his show off the air deprives the American public of a crucial voice.
We must fight back right now against the political and corporate forces that are dead set on pursuing their self-serving, greedy, and authoritarian goals at our expense. If we don't, it might soon be too late.
Help MoveOn fight back against authoritarianism and corporate greed and help us put up billboards in Times Square demanding that CBS put Colbert back on the air! Will you start a $5 monthly donation?
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Amandah B., Allison, Christian, and the rest of the team
P.S. The Writers Guild of America is sounding the alarm: "A corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society."5
If we don't stand up to Trump's cultural revolution now, attacks on and suppression of free speech will only get worse—history has shown just how bad the outcome could be.
Will you start a $5 monthly donation to pressure CBS and Paramount to stand up for free speech?
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Sources:
1. "'Looks Like Bribery!': Critics Say This 1 Colbert Joke May Have Gotten 'Late Show' Canceled," HuffPost, July 17, 2025
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colbert-joke-cbs-deal-trump-settlement-late-show-cancellation_n_6879a555e4b06b3f48aa66fa
2. "Why Was 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' Canceled?" Today, August 12, 2025
https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/why-was-the-late-show-stephen-colbert-canceled-rcna224144
3. Ibid.
4. "Trump's Cultural Revolution Is Just Getting Started," The New York Times, August 8, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/opinion/smithsonian-trump-censorship.html
5. "Writers' union urges investigation into Paramount move to cancel Colbert show," The Guardian, July 18, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/18/writers-guild-stephen-colbert-investigation
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump's authoritarian takeover intensifies every day. But we must remember that authoritarian governments worldwide have not withstood a challenge by 3.5% or more of its people. MoveOn can reach, train, organize, and support at a scale unparalleled in the progressive movement—which we need now more than ever. Will you make a monthly donation today to power this urgent and critical organizing?
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