The announcement that "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" will end in 2026 made headlines for its business implications. CBS says the decision is economic, but it’s hard to ignore the political backdrop. Colbert has been one of Donald Trump’s most relentless satirical critics, and some suspect the political climate, and the discomfort of skewering certain targets, played a role. The show’s demise feels like part of a larger story: the slow collapse of late-night political comedy.

I’ve been thinking about that from my own small vantage point. Alongside my work as a communications professor and PR consultant, I occasionally perform stand-up comedy. It’s nothing full-time or glamorous, but enough to get in front of a mic and test how much truth people are willing to laugh at.

There was a t

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