Stephen Colbert, If You’re Reading This: The Door Is Open

By Ben Meiselas

Stephen Colbert, if you’re reading this: the door is open.

It was just announced that CBS won’t be renewing your contract, and as disappointing as it is, we all know the real reason behind this decision: Donald Trump.

Let me explain. Paramount, the parent company of CBS, recently settled a lawsuit filed by Trump against 60 Minutes over a segment with former Vice President Kamala Harris that Trump claimed caused him “severe emotional distress.” Paramount settled for a staggering $16 million.

Here’s the kicker: Paramount is in the process of completing an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, and that deal needs approval from Trump’s FCC—an entity Trump controls and has used as leverage in the past to shake down media companies. Trump, as we know, has long used his influence to extract favors from the media, telling companies that his approval is necessary for their deals to go through. And here we are—CBS and Paramount have now caved to these demands, and, as part of the settlement or possibly even a new “requirement” from Trump to approve the merger, it seems they’ve targeted you.

What’s even more troubling is that whether getting rid of you was part of this “settlement,” a demand by Trump, or a symptom of CBS becoming more aligned with MAGA politics, it doesn’t change the fact that this is another shameful day for corporate media.

So, Mr. Colbert, I want to be clear:

I have long admired you for your unwavering commitment to telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. You’ve used your voice and humor to speak out against the powerful, and I deeply respect that. You’ve never compromised your values for the sake of popularity or corporate interests, and that’s why you’ve been such a powerful force in late-night television.

As the founder of the MeidasTouch Network, I’d like to extend a personal invitation to you: come join us.

We’re a rapidly growing network, and we’re now averaging 1 billion views every 2–3 months. In fact, we get more daily views than Fox News. CBS can’t even compete with us in terms of audience reach. At Meidas, you’d have a larger audience than you did at CBS—and you’d be 100% independent. No corporate meddling, no behind-the-scenes political pressures. Just freedom to speak your mind, as you always have.

I must admit, though, there’s one downside: I doubt we can offer you what CBS did financially, at least not at first. But we’re growing fast, and the energy here is electric. The MeidasTouch Network is leading the charge in independent media, and we’ve already surpassed major cable networks in audience share. It would be an honor to have you on board, and together, we can make history. You’ll be fearless, and we’ll build something special together.

Think about it, Stephen.

We operate differently here. Our network is powered by our incredible community—the Meidas Mighty. We don’t have any investors calling the shots. We’re subscriber-supported on Substack, and our audience continues to grow each day. Our podcast beats Joe Rogan in monthly views by three times, and our YouTube channel outperforms Fox News. We are ranked number one in multiple countries, and we’re just getting started.

To all our readers, thank you for supporting this Substack. You are the reason we have the platform to offer something different—something that puts truth and integrity over corporate sponsorship and political favoritism. It’s because of you that we can now offer Stephen Colbert the opportunity to join us in this new era of fearless, independent media.

Stephen, the door is wide open. Let’s make this happen.

— Ben Meiselas, Founder of MeidasTouch