TOI reporter in Washington: American late-night television, that unique, risqué institution where presidents are mocked, celebrities are flattered and audiences applaud, is preparing for a funeral. CBS terminates ‘Late Night’ after 33 years Stephen ColbertThis week, the eponymous host takes his final bow — ending not just a show, but possibly the end of an era in which comedians doubled as political opponents.CBS insists the decision was “purely financial” and, as one joker put it, may have been like the Titanic’s “water management issues.” Late-night TV is hemorrhaging money in the streaming age, with young viewers turning to social media memes, clips and podcasts hosted by basement- and bunker-based hosts, the network reported. Late-night TV advertising revenue has plummeted in recent years even as production costs have soared.Yet few in the United States believe money is the sole reason for the demise of the top-rated late-night franchise. Doubts grew after Colbert blasted CBS parent Paramount Universal for settling a lawsuit filed by President Trump, calling the payment “a huge bribe” over the broadcast. Days later, CBS announced it was canceling the show as Paramount sought regulatory approval for its merger with Skydance Media amid rumors the late-night show had taken a political and commercial fallout.In MAGA USA, comedians are now seen less as jokers and more like antagonistic political actors. Trump has long considered late-night hosts his enemies, frequently attacking Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers on social media. All three, along with Jon Stewart and John Oliver, have leaned into political satire in the wake of Trump’s rise, turning monologues into nightly indictments. Critics call it liberal resentment, but for fans, it’s therapy.As the end of the week approaches, the late-night fraternity unites with surprising tenderness. Kimmel and Fallon reportedly chose a rerun rather than compete with Colbert’s farewell episode, appearing alongside Meyers and Oliver for a symbolic group hug on air. They joked that Jon Stewart, who wasn’t with them, was “Designated Survivor.” Even David Letterman, the patron saint of late-night TV satire and Colbert’s predecessor, recently joined him in gleefully throwing CBS office furniture off the roof in a mock rebellion. Apparently, American TV executives can cancel a show, but not a cute dramatic show.Colbert himself, alternately humorous and anguished, noted with some disbelief that his crew would be purged immediately after the final show. What’s next for the 62-year-old presenter? He will reportedly co-write a Lord of the Rings movie with his son Peter, and is also expected to turn to streaming and podcasting.Interestingly, India appears frequently in Colbert’s comic world. During the outsourcing anxieties of the Trump era, he once joked that American jobs were “sent to call centers in Bangalore, where even scam calls have better customer service.” He often mocked the academic minds of Indian Americans, joking that a spelling bee champion sounded “less like a child and more like a junior tax consultant.” When Prime Minister Modi visited the US, he quipped that the association between Trump and him at large rallies was “the geopolitical version of two DJs comparing crowd sizes”.“But the greater resonance with India may lie elsewhere. As global political polarization deepens, comedians on both sides of the world are finding that satire is now accompanied by legal notices, troll armies and ideological surveillance. Indian stand-up comedians know this pressure firsthand from police complaints, venue cancellations and legal cases. America’s late-night aficionados are only now discovering what they’ve long understood: Power laughs loudest at jokes that go downwards, not upwards. Late-night television once promised to give Americans catharsis before bed. Soon the next morning came.