Radio host Charlamagne labeled CBS and Paramount the "Donkey of the Day" for canceling Colbert's show, suggesting it's part of Trump's plan to silence critics and control media.

Skydance Media Chief Executive Officer David Ellison met with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Tuesday appealing to the regulatory chief to approve his film studio’s pending merger with Paramount Global.

Colbert followed “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s attack of the deal one week earlier. Stewart works for Comedy Central, also owned by Paramount, making the two comics the most visible internal critics of the $16 million settlement that was announced on July 1.

Paramount faces scrutiny for agreeing to pay $16 million to settle a suit brought by Trump, amid a merger attempt that requires his administration's blessing.

Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart slammed Paramount for making a deal with Trump, serving notice they won't be silenced by their parent company.

Paramount agreed to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. Trump alleged the interview was edited to improve how Harris sounded, a claim CBS denied.

Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., was direct in his criticism, writing in a post to Bluesky: “Paramount just paid a bribe for merger approval.” he called for “state prosecutors” to “make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today.”

The high-stakes deal that came together this week resulted from months of back-and-forth among a constellation of power players with competing interests, including the president, the Larry Ellison family and mogul Shari Redstone.

Paramount, Trump in ‘advanced’ discussions to settle $20 billion lawsuit. The parties asked a Texas judge on Monday to pause case deadlines until Thursday as negotiations over the suit play out.