“I expected chants… all I heard was a soda can rolling down the street” – GREG GUTFELD erupts as Colbert’s FINAL STAND flops with EMPTY sidewalks, NO-SHOW fans, and CBS execs nowhere to be found during failed farewell stunt

What was meant to be a thunderous farewell for Stephen Colbert turned into an unforgettable silence. Despite online hype and behind-the-scenes buildup, his protest outside the CBS studio drew barely a crowd—just confused tourists and the distant hum of city traffic. Greg Gutfeld, watching from afar, couldn’t help but mock the anticlimactic scene, pointing out the irony of a once-beloved figure being left to “perform for the pigeons.” With staff missing and execs reportedly dodging calls, questions now swirl around how fast things unraveled—and who pulled the final string.

See the haunting images and jaw-dropping responses that left even die-hard fans speechless.

In what was intended to be a defiant stand against the cancellation of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert’s planned protest turned into an awkward spectacle, exposing not only the fragile state of late-night television—but perhaps the fading star power of one of its most iconic figures.

On Sunday, a sparse crowd of barely 20 people trickled onto the sidewalk outside the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Clutching handmade signs with messages like “I’m with Colbert” and “Protect the Truth,” the gathering was less a protest and more a solemn reminder of just how far the once-dominant Late Show had fallen.

Despite high expectations—and hopes that hundreds, if not thousands, of loyal viewers would rally in solidarity—Colbert’s last stand landed with the force of a feather. No chants. No flash mobs. No celebrities. Just quiet frustration and a few confused pedestrians glancing at the near-empty sidewalk.

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Protestors had gathered outside of the CBS broadcast center in New York City on Sunday, in low numbers

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Images taken at the protest show a small number gathering outside of the building, holding banners and placards

Gutfeld’s Brutal Take: “Performance Art Without the Audience”

While the images of the almost comically small protest began circulating online, one voice couldn’t help but erupt in laughter. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld, never shy about taking a jab at his late-night rival, didn’t hold back. “He thought they’d flood the streets,” Gutfeld quipped on-air. “But not even his staff showed up. It’s performance art without the audience.”

The crowd’s absence wasn’t just a moment of embarrassment—it was symbolic. Colbert, who once led late-night with his razor-sharp political satire and celebrity interviews, now stood without the one thing a performer needs most: an audience. And while Gutfeld mocked from afar, others within the industry began to ask a more sobering question—had Stephen Colbert become the architect of his own downfall?

Whispers of Sabotage, Settlements, and Strategic Silence

Officially, CBS chalked up The Late Show’s cancellation to declining ratings and financial strain. Behind the scenes, however, the narrative is murkier, messier—and far more dramatic.

Critics have pointed to the $16 million settlement CBS’s parent company, Paramount, quietly reached in June 2025 with Donald Trump. The former president had sued over alleged deceptive editing in a 60 Minutes segment, and just two days after Colbert labeled that payout a “big fat bribe,” the network announced the abrupt end of his show.

Insiders allege the timing was no coincidence.

At the same time, Paramount was securing approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, a deal requiring the green light from the Trump-influenced FCC. According to media strategists, silencing Colbert—Trump’s most outspoken critic in the late-night sphere—was a calculated concession to ensure that merger passed without friction.

If so, the quiet Sunday protest was less about Colbert’s cancellation and more about the chilling possibility that a beloved host was strategically sacrificed to grease corporate gears.

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Colbert used the term ‘big fat bribe’ to describe the settlement between Paramount and Trump, two days later it was announced that his show would disappear from screens

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The Collapse of Colbert’s Empire

Colbert was reportedly pulling in between $15 and $20 million per year in salary. Yet despite being a household name and winning multiple Emmy Awards, The Late Show had become, as some insiders described to Puck News and Variety, a “money pit”—losing an estimated $40 million annually.

That hemorrhaging, coupled with shifting viewer habits and CBS’s internal struggle to justify the cost, meant the show was on life support well before its final season was confirmed. But for loyal fans, that didn’t make the blow any easier to stomach.

“It’s not just about Stephen,” one protestor told the New York Post. “It’s about freedom of speech. About standing up for truth in media.”

Yet even that impassioned defense was lost in the silence echoing outside the CBS studio, where hopes of a grassroots movement fizzled before it could ignite.

From Comedy Titan to Casualty of Corporate Realignment

The optics were brutal. Empty sidewalks. Confused onlookers. And a legacy being quietly dismantled one frame at a time.

As images of the ghost-town protest circulated, comparisons were inevitable. Just five years ago, Colbert’s biting monologues and viral segments made him a defining voice of late-night, rivaling even The Tonight Show. But on Sunday, the absence of his fans said what no monologue could.

“This isn’t just about one man losing his show,” one industry analyst told Deadline. “This is about an entire format under fire. The old late-night playbook no longer works.”

Others pointed to Gutfeld’s meteoric rise as a symbol of the changing tide. Once seen as an underdog, Gutfeld now leads the late-night pack in ratings—without the support of Hollywood’s elite or traditional network machines. His mocking commentary about Colbert’s failed protest underscored that shift.

“He became a symbol of what used to be,” one former CBS staffer said of Colbert. “But the world moved on. And Sunday proved it.”

What Happens Now?

As CBS shutters The Late Show, replacing it with syndicated reruns and budget-friendly specials, Colbert’s future remains uncertain. Rumors of a possible collaboration with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow have gained traction, with whispers of a hybrid show that could blend political commentary with satire.

Still, any such venture would be a gamble. Colbert’s brand is undeniably tied to the platform CBS gave him for nearly a decade. Detaching from that legacy won’t be easy—and rebuilding after a very public failure might be even harder.

Meanwhile, Skydance’s influence over CBS grows. The media giant has already vowed to introduce an ombudsman to monitor journalistic fairness and eliminate DEI initiatives, aligning more closely with the new FCC direction. As changes begin rolling through the halls of CBS, the message is clear: the era of progressive late-night anchors commanding primetime might be over.

A Whisper, Not a Roar

If Colbert hoped to ignite a firestorm, Sunday’s protest revealed a different story—one of fatigue, silence, and perhaps even surrender. Where were the celebrities? The colleagues? The loyal millions who once made The Late Show a cornerstone of American culture?

They weren’t there.

And while Stephen Colbert may return in some new form, the symbolism of an empty protest speaks louder than any punchline. The era of the political comedian as cultural savior may have come to a close—not with a mic drop, but with a shrug.

As Greg Gutfeld said, perhaps a little too gleefully: “It’s hard to stage a revolution when no one shows up.”