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'Fired and Festive': 'Late Show' Host Stephen Colbert Bows Out

CBS has said its decision to cancel "The Late Show," hosted by Stephen Colbert, was purely financial. Rich Fury / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
CBS has said its decision to cancel "The Late Show," hosted by Stephen Colbert, was purely financial. Rich Fury / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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'Fired and Festive': 'Late Show' Host Stephen Colbert Bows Out

CBS has said its decision to cancel "The Late Show," hosted by Stephen Colbert, was purely financial. Rich Fury / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
CBS has said its decision to cancel "The Late Show," hosted by Stephen Colbert, was purely financial. Rich Fury / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

"The Late Show" frontman Stephen Colbert will host the final edition of the 33-year-old US cultural institution on Thursday night, after it was cancelled by CBS as the network courted President Donald Trump.

The show, which Colbert has hosted since 2015, was axed after he mocked the broadcaster for a $16 million settlement with Trump for allegedly "maliciously" editing an interview with his Democratic election rival Kamala Harris.

Colbert called it a "big fat bribe."

CBS has insisted the decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," the ratings leader in the time slot, was purely financial -- and that it was a coincidence the move came as CBS parent company Paramount lobbied for government approval of its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

Around that time CBS brought in Bari Weiss, a right-wing journalist without significant TV experience, to run its news division, AFP reported.

In the weeks leading to Thursday's curtain call, 62-year-old Colbert has at times cut a subdued figure, lacking some of his usual cheerful flair.

"Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense you might be losing it," Colbert said while accepting an Emmy award last year.

Colbert was clearly moved when he was joined in his studio by fellow late night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver, who paid tribute in the penultimate week.

Kimmel was briefly taken off the air in September 2025 by his network ABC after complaints about a remark he made over the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Trump has repeatedly attacked media and press freedom since returning to office, using lawsuits and regulatory threats to retaliate for unflattering news coverage and jokes.

The US president has long been a fierce critic of late-night talk show hosts and their jabs at him. Trump has called Colbert a "pathetic trainwreck" who should be "put to sleep."

One late night host who did not join the gathering of funnymen who pillory the US president night after night was Greg Gutfeld, host of "Gutfeld!" on Fox News -- the network popular with conservatives.

Asked in November about both the cancellation and Kimmel's suspension, Gutfeld said, "Why did it take so long?"

- 'Can't take a man's voice' -

Colbert made his name playing a fictitious version of himself, embodying the type of conservative blowhard beloved by Fox News viewers -- and derided by the left.

He first played the sharp-suited but dim-witted character on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" before getting a spin-off, "The Colbert Report."

Colbert ascended to the pinnacle of US late-night TV when he was named host of the CBS flagship, shedding the character and employing his own voice.

In the weeks leading to Thursday, Colbert auctioned off a raft of props and costumes featured on the show, as well as pieces of set including a giant illuminated sign. Proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen.

Colbert has been coy about his next steps but announced he will be a writer on a forthcoming "Lord of the Rings" movie -- as well as lying down and taking a breather.

Details of the last broadcast were scant, with show insiders tight-lipped when contacted by AFP.

One guest has eluded Colbert: the pope. The host, a devout Catholic, has called the pontiff his "white whale."

While an impromptu trip to New York seems unlikely, Pope Leo XIV's public schedule is clear on May 21.

Colbert's fellow late-night hosts were all due to air re-runs Thursday out of respect for Colbert's swansong.

And the theme of the after-party? "Fired and festive!"

Ahead of the final show, Colbert brought back former "Late Show" host David Letterman who steered the ship from 1993 until 2015.

The pair ascended to the roof of the show's Ed Sullivan Theater to throw furniture at a giant logo of CBS, describing it as "wanton destruction of CBS property."

"You can take a man's show," said Letterman. "You can't take a man's voice."

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Entertainment

Disney Taps Back Catalogue -- Again -- For Live-Action ‘Moana’

Dwayne Johnson poses for photographs with fans at the "Moana" experience in London, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP)
Dwayne Johnson poses for photographs with fans at the "Moana" experience in London, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP)
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Disney Taps Back Catalogue -- Again -- For Live-Action ‘Moana’

Dwayne Johnson poses for photographs with fans at the "Moana" experience in London, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP)
Dwayne Johnson poses for photographs with fans at the "Moana" experience in London, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP)

Disney's reliance on its back catalogue of characters and franchises will be underlined again next week with the release of a live-action version of "Moana", a remake of the Polynesian-themed animation hit that is only a decade old.

The original "Moana" from 2016 follows a young Polynesian girl who sets off on an adventure across the ocean, accompanied by the demigod Maui, to save her people and their atoll.

A sequel came out in 2024 and a third animated installment is in the works, while the new live-action version starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will hit screens worldwide from Wednesday.

It is a shot-for-shot rehash of the original, with the same songs and similar dialogue, directed by Thomas Kail of "Hamilton" fame.

"The way that the movie breathes is so different than animation the way that you fill a frame is quite different and I think there's an opportunity to access emotion in a distinct way," he told AFP.

With a budget estimated at 200-250 million dollars, the film is banking on spectacular special effects to draw in crowds at a time when animated sequels "Toy Story 5" and "Minions & Monsters" are riding high at the box office.

- Nostalgia -

Remakes and franchises have become a cornerstone of modern Hollywood production, despite criticism that they are a sign of declining creativity and risk-taking by the industry's big beasts.

Concepts and characters that are already familiar to viewers are seen as bankable profit-makers by under-pressure studios, while offering attractive merchandising, games and other spin-off possibilities.

Disney's appetite for live-action re-makes of its animated hits was whetted by the huge success of 2010's "Alice in Wonderland" by Tim Burton, which grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide.

"Aladdin,Beauty and the Beast," and "Lilo & Stitch" have each broken the billion-dollar level at the box office since.

"Overall, they've done very well, especially the films based on the Disney Renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s," said Stephane Durand, a pop culture and Disney specialist in France.

"The biggest hits are films that recreate the original almost shot for shot," he explained. "For people interested in storytelling, it's pretty poor. But as long as the films make a billion dollars, it will go on."

Not all have been a hit, however.

"The Little Mermaid" (2023) earned a lackluster reception, while "Snow White" (2025) proved a disappointment.

"Studios need to ensure that the charm of the original is retained and need to be extremely judicious with their creative license," Caroline Reid, a journalist at Forbes magazine specialized in the film and entertainment industries, said.

But even those that don't draw crowds to cinemas can still turn out to be commercial hits thanks to the rise of streaming.

"Many of the live-action remakes that don't succeed at the box office are hits on streaming. 'The Little Mermaid' is a good example of this," Reid said.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Wedding Celebration to Light Up New York

A worker makes adjustments to a tent outside Madison Square Garden, the reported venue for the wedding celebrations of pop singer Taylor Swift and pro-athlete Travis Kelce, in New York City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)
A worker makes adjustments to a tent outside Madison Square Garden, the reported venue for the wedding celebrations of pop singer Taylor Swift and pro-athlete Travis Kelce, in New York City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)
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Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Wedding Celebration to Light Up New York

A worker makes adjustments to a tent outside Madison Square Garden, the reported venue for the wedding celebrations of pop singer Taylor Swift and pro-athlete Travis Kelce, in New York City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)
A worker makes adjustments to a tent outside Madison Square Garden, the reported venue for the wedding celebrations of pop singer Taylor Swift and pro-athlete Travis Kelce, in New York City on July 3, 2026. (AFP)

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are widely expected to cap their three-year love story with a New York wedding celebration on Friday, ending months of speculation about the union between the pop megastar and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.

While neither has confirmed plans publicly, the New York Post's Page Six reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources, that the two had already wed.

Reuters was unable to confirm that report. But a heavy media presence and barricades around New York's Madison Square Garden fueled expectations of a major event, as passersby on Friday morning stopped to snap photos and videos on their phones.

Workers spent days this week unloading food and scenery into the iconic Manhattan arena, which is in its longest summer stretch without a scheduled concert or sporting event.

Scaffolding with heavy black curtains was in place, preventing crowds from spotting people arriving at the building, and a sign posted by an entrance on Thursday warned anyone entering to maintain strict confidentiality.

Officials including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani have dropped hints that something is ‌coming, and US ‌media have reported the pair plan a reception for 1,000 people at the start of a long ‌holiday weekend ⁠when the nation ⁠celebrates the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from British rule.

The couple through a publicist on Thursday said they had donated $26 million to several charities in the city and elsewhere this week.

The buzzy event coincides with brutally hot weather. Temperatures were forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) and will likely test the stamina of onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of the celebrity couple or their famous guests.

'ROYAL WEDDING'

Alison Walsh stopped with her 11-year-old daughter — one of the singer's fans — on the West 31st Street side of the arena to peer through police-lined barricades at a large white tent.

"When we heard this was going down, we wanted to be here. It is the closest thing to a royal wedding in the US," said the 46-year-old Walsh, who was visiting from Connecticut and is also a Swift fan.

The ⁠couple's love story began in 2023 when Kelce tried unsuccessfully to meet Swift backstage at one of her ‌concerts, but succeeded in capturing her attention and warming her heart by recounting his disappointment on a ‌podcast.

As the relationship grew, they appeared publicly together at her concerts, his Kansas City Chiefs games and on "Saturday Night Live," leading to an August 2025 engagement announcement on Instagram ‌that read "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married."

One of the most successful musicians of all time, Swift has won 14 Grammy Awards and shattered records with a global concert tour that made her a billionaire.

Kelce, one of the National Football League's best-known players, helped the Kansas City Chiefs win three Super Bowls alongside star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He also co-hosts the popular sports and pop ‌culture podcast "New Heights."

RECORD-SETTING CAREER

In June, Swift was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, 20 years after her first hit single.

Beginning in country music before finding pop megastardom, Swift has won an unparalleled four Grammy ⁠Album of the Year awards. And her ⁠latest, "The Life of a Showgirl," sold more copies than any other album in its first week.

Kelce first tried to meet Swift after she performed at Kansas City, Missouri's Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Chiefs, as part of her Eras Tour, a retrospective of her two-decade career.

He failed to make it through security and said on his podcast that he was "a little butthurt" he did not get the chance to meet Swift and give her a friendship bracelet bearing his phone number.

Swift was charmed, recounting on a later "New Heights" episode that the gesture reminded her of "an '80s John Hughes movie, and he was just like, standing outside of my window with a boombox and being like, 'I want to date you.'"

She said she thought, "If this guy isn't crazy, which is a big if, this is sort of what I've been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager."

Entertainment

‘Not Easy, but Not Impossible’: Iraq’s Film Industry Sees Slow Revival

Street vendors gather outside the faded facade of the Granada Cinema, an early 1940s landmark, in the Bab al-Sharqi district of central Baghdad on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
Street vendors gather outside the faded facade of the Granada Cinema, an early 1940s landmark, in the Bab al-Sharqi district of central Baghdad on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
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‘Not Easy, but Not Impossible’: Iraq’s Film Industry Sees Slow Revival

Street vendors gather outside the faded facade of the Granada Cinema, an early 1940s landmark, in the Bab al-Sharqi district of central Baghdad on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
Street vendors gather outside the faded facade of the Granada Cinema, an early 1940s landmark, in the Bab al-Sharqi district of central Baghdad on May 26, 2026. (AFP)

In the heart of old Baghdad, legendary movie theaters stand abandoned and shrouded in dust, bearing witness to Iraq's once-vibrant cultural scene.

A few kilometers away, director Ali al-Bayati oversees his camera operators as they adjust their lenses for a scene in his upcoming horror film, which he hopes to showcase internationally as a new generation of Iraqi filmmakers drives an industry comeback.

Momentum is building, bolstered by recent international recognition for the Iraqi film "The President's Cake", which captures life under crippling sanctions during Saddam Hussein's rule.

"Reviving the cinema sector in Iraq is not easy, but it is not impossible either," Bayati told AFP.

For decades, Iraq's cultural and cinematic scenes flourished.

Film production in Iraq began in the 1940s -- notably with titles co-produced with Egypt -- reaching its peak in the 1950s.

Among the most celebrated productions of that era was Kameran Hosni's film "Said Effendi" (1956), a work recently restored as part of the Iraqi Cinematheque project supported by France, and screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.

But then everything changed.

With Saddam Hussein's rise to power in the 1970s, cinema became a propaganda tool.

This was followed by decades of war, sectarian strife and an extremist insurgency after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Hussein, ultimately snuffing out the golden age of Iraqi cinema.

Baghdad's old movie theaters that once drew film enthusiasts are now barely standing, with their faded walls, old doors and broken signs.

Dilapidated shops crowd the entrance to the Granada Cinema, with clothes hanging directly on the street. Other theaters have been repurposed as warehouses, with a few old movie posters still clinging to their walls.

- The old and the new -

In recent years, a fragile stability has begun to revive Iraqis' appetite for entertainment and returned focus to Baghdad's cultural scene.

Authorities seized the opportunity last year, launching an initiative to support 58 film projects.

But the funding pool is just four million dollars, an amount that would fund only a single project in other countries, said Wareth Kwaish of the government-led initiative.

Authorities are also working to recover Iraq's historic cinema archive in the country and abroad.

And Baghdad has signed cinematic cooperation agreements with France to support its film industry.

Producer Haider Ibrahim inspects a film reel at the National Centre for Archives and Iraqi Memory in Baghdad on June 14, 2026. (AFP)

Still, the industry remains short on funding and support, making every production a gamble.

Filmmakers rely on small grants, said Bayati, who hopes to market his movie in the US and European countries and is among those who benefited from government funding.

The key for him is gaining the trust of Iraqi audiences to "generate revenues that would lead to sustainability in work and production", he said.

Most Iraqi moviegoers today frequent multi-screen theaters in shopping malls where Hollywood and Egyptian movies dominate the screens, rather than the classic venues.

Syrian filmmaker Abdulhadi al-Rakeb, who made a documentary about Iraq's old movie theaters, said their closure has led to "the disappearance of a culture of watching films in theaters and, as a result, a decline in the very idea of filmmaking".

- 'Cautiously optimistic' -

Recently, "The President's Cake", the Iraqi film that won a prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival last year, finally started screening in Iraq.

The movie follows the story of a young girl selected to bake a cake for Saddam's birthday at a time when sanctions made it almost impossible to find the ingredients.

Although the movie was shot in Iraq, the production faced many challenges.

Director Hasan Hadi said a shortage of experienced Iraqi film crews forced him to bring in European professionals.

"The local crew were not aware of international standards," and the foreign crew were unfamiliar with the local cultural context, which created "more problems for us", he said.

According to Hadi, the lack of local crews is one of several reasons Iraqi filmmakers have been unable to work in their own country.

He believes the sector needs workshops to develop local talent, increased funding and better overall organization.

"I am cautiously optimistic," Hadi said.

"There are more people who want to tell their stories and make films, but not enough resources."