Intro for February 18, 2026

Dear Gossips,

I believe Stephen Colbert when he said last night that “I really don’t want an adversarial relationship with the network. I’ve never had one”. Stephen was addressing the situation over his interview with James Talarico from earlier this week, posted on The Late Show’s YouTube channel instead of airing on broadcast after CBS lawyers prohibited it, which Stephen explained on the air to the audience.

In response to Stephen’s workaround and his subsequent revelation, the lawyers then issued a public statement refuting his version of events. And Stephen took exception to it, making it clear on the show last night that he would not let them spin it any other way.

He’s funny, as usual, but you can tell by the end of it that he’s frustrated, exhausted, and wounded. He has exactly three months to go before he signs off, before CBS cancels the show completely. And while we do know a lot about what went into the decision and the circumstances surrounding it, there’s probably a lot more inside baseball we’re still not privy to, the daily indignations that Stephen has undoubtedly had to swallow, as anyone who has to endure employment for an employee who doesn’t want you anymore could relate to.

He also wouldn’t actively pursue an adversarial relationship with the network because it would be selfish – there’s an entire team of people he’s representing who still need that job until May, and I’ve no doubt he’s thinking about them too. My point is… I don’t think it’s entirely accurate to say that he has no f-cks left to give. It might actually be the opposite: he gives all the f-cks, he cares, and he’s responding this way because he cares so much. He cares about the truth, he cares about the integrity of the work, not just his work but all the people whose contributions get the show made. So it’s not that Stephen is out here trying to die on any and all speedbumps, but he will take on the challenges that he really can’t walk away from. And if you’re calling on people to be truthful and then are accused by lawyers for your own network of misrepresenting the truth – that, clearly, is a fight that Stephen will show up for, albeit reluctantly.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey