CBS forced to pay for Stephen Colbert's final prank on The Late Show
Source: The Independent
Tuesday 16 June 2026 16:52 EDT
Stephen Colbert has stuck CBS with the bill after he used the Peanuts TV specials’ theme song without permission during The Late Show’s finale. The network struck a deal to pay an undisclosed amount to Lee Mendelson Film Productions Inc., after Colbert’s house band played composer Vince Guaraldi’s famous song “Linus and Lucy” during the late night show’s last-ever episode, according to Variety.
During the May 21 finale, the show’s band Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine began to perform “Linus and Lucy” while Colbert spoke about how the owners of the Peanuts catalog had been cracking down on copyrights for the Guaraldi song catalog.
“Anyone illegally using that music is gonna have to pay through the nose,” Colbert explained. As his band played the song, he then joked, “Oh no! I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!”
As part of CBS’s agreement, LMFP will donate the licensing fee amount to World Central Kitchen, the non-profit organization created by Chef José Andrés. The food relief organization had also received a $2.5 million donation from The Late Show during the show’s penultimate episode.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/stephen-colbert-cbs-finale-music-license-b2996991.html
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Last edited Wed Jun 17, 2026, 06:52 AM - Edit history (1)
They'll continue to make money as long as they show reruns. If CBS is too stupid to do that, it's not our problem.
They can put on old movies or re-runs or a sports show, and try to hang onto the viewers they have left.
