Corporate Weasel Who Fired Colbert Now In Charge Of Comedy Central

The CEO who oversaw the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will soon be taking over South Park following the Paramount/Skydance merger. Via the Daily Beast:

George Cheeks, the co-CEO of Paramount Global and president and CEO of CBS, has also been named chair of TV Media at Paramount following the company’s merger with Skydance, Deadline reports.

While other scripted productions will be folded into Paramount TV Studios, South Park will be part of Cheeks’ portfolio, which also includes Paramount’s broadcast and cable properties like the CBS Network and CBS Studios, as well as Nickelodeon, BET, and Paramount Media Networks—which includes South Park’s longstanding home Comedy Central.

With Comedy Central in his portfolio, Cheeks will also be overseeing The Daily Show. Much like The Late Show, The Daily Show—particularly regular host (and former permanent host) Jon Stewart—is known for taking aim at the Trump administration.

Colbert’s criticisms of President Donald Trump, and Paramount’s decision to settle a lawsuit with Trump to the tune of $16 million, are what led many to allege that his axing was political, not financial. Colbert called the settlement a ”big fat bribe” mere weeks before his show’s cancellation was announced, while Cheeks argued that the settlement was made in order to avoid an expensive and protracted legal battle.

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