Stephen Colbert Sticks It to CBS in Peanuts Copyright Lawsuit Gag During Final Late Show

Stephen Colbert toyed with saddling CBS with a copyright lawsuit, a roundabout dig at the network that said it canceled his show for financial reasons, by setting up to have The Late Show’s in-house band play the Peanuts theme song, “Linus and Lucy.”

The moment came during the show’s final episode on Thursday as part of Colbert’s long-running “Meanwhile” segment, where he riffed on news that the company controlling Peanuts music rights had filed lawsuits against people allegedly using the song illegally, including the government.

“Now, Peanuts is a powerful brand and corporation in and of itself,” Colbert told bandleader Louis Cato. “Anyone illegally using that music is going to have to pay through the nose,”

Almost immediately, the house band launched into the famous Charlie Brown piano tune.

A stunned Colbert turned back toward the band, “Louis! Louis!”

“Excuse me, Louis, is the band, is the band right now playing the same Peanuts music that I just said people are being sued for, for using without permission? Is that what you’re doing?”

When Cato confirmed they were, Colbert delivered the punchline with feigned shock: “Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money.”

Thursday’s finale was packed with celebrity appearances and nostalgic callbacks, concluding in a final interview with Paul McCartney. But the copyright joke quickly emerged as one of the night’s defining moments.

When it announced it would be axing The Late Show last July, CBS insisted that the move was “purely a financial decision” unrelated to the show’s content or performance. The announcement came, however, shortly after Colbert publicly criticized Paramount, CBS’s parent company, over its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. At the time, Paramount was seeking federal approval for a merger with Skydance Media, which was later approved.

Watch above via CBS.

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