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CBS has stopped issuing copyright takedowns of Stephen Colbert’s surprise return to the Only in Monroe public access show, after a brief social media backlash.
CBS has paused enforcement of copyright takedowns against YouTube uploads of Stephen Colbert‘s Friday night return to Only in Monroe, the Michigan public-access show where he made his post-Late Show debut just 23 hours after CBS pulled the plug on his network gig.
The takedowns had been routine. CBS Studios financed and produced the Only in Monroe episode in collaboration with Monroe Community Media and The Late Show’s YouTube infrastructure, and the network issued copyright notices to bootleg uploaders as standard practice.
The reading from the outside was harder to swallow. With Colbert’s Late Show cancellation still fresh, the takedown wave looked, to some observers, like CBS continuing to suppress him.
NBC News’s writeup of the reversal, including the network’s full statement and the social media context captured CBS’s reasoning. The spokesperson called the takedowns regular practice but said the company had decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review.
Variety filled in the back-story. The outlet’s reporting on the rationale, the bootleg-versus-official view counts, and why CBS owned the copyright at all explains that the takedowns were technically valid: CBS Studios funded the production, including Jack White’s music and a Jeff Daniels guest spot, which placed the episode under Late Show copyright. Monroe Community Media itself lacks the legal infrastructure to police the uploads.
The official video sits on Colbert’s brand-new YouTube channel. He launched it last week with the Only in Monroe segment as its first post. As of the takedown reversal, the official upload had drawn about 392,486 views while a single unauthorized upload on a channel called The Desk had 620,621.
The Only in Monroe episode itself was loaded. Eminem appeared, Steve Buscemi taped a commercial for Buscemi’s Pizza and Subs in Monroe (the actor stresses he’s unrelated to the restaurant), Byron Allen joined via FaceTime, and original Only in Monroe hosts Michelle Baumann and former Miss America Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson returned to join Colbert.
Colbert opened the broadcast with a setup that doubled as a Paramount jab. “Since I was last here in Monroe, Michigan, I spent 11 years as the primary host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, which came to an end last night,” he said. “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount.”
The line landed. Colbert had originally launched the Late Show by first guest-hosting an Only in Monroe episode in July 2015, before his CBS debut.
His next project is already announced. Yahoo’s coverage of the takedown reversal, which also previews his upcoming Lord of the Rings writing project with his son Peter, frames the takedown episode as a side skirmish in a larger pivot for Colbert post-CBS.
Paramount’s broader response to the Late Show cancellation has not softened. The company continues to maintain the decision was a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night, a framing widely contested by Colbert, David Letterman, and most of the late-night industry that paid tribute in his final week.
For now, the bootleg uploads stay up. Until additional review.
