Slate/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
Stephen Colbert seemingly had a clear message for his and former news anchor John Dickerson's employer, CBS
During Slate's Political Gabfest event on Thursday, Dec. 18, the Late Show host, 61, stuck his middle finger in the air after embracing Dickerson
Dickerson departed CBS Evening News on Thursday, and Colbert's Late Show is set to end in May 2026
Stephen Colbertseemingly has a clear message for his and former news anchorJohn Dickerson's employer.
During Slate's Political Gabfest event on Thursday, Dec. 18, theLate Showhost, 61, is seen making a strong statement as he celebrated fellow CBS employee John Dickerson, whoselast day at CBS News was yesterday.
As host David Plotz introduces the panel, including Dickerson and Colbert, whoseLate Showis set to end in May 2026, footage shows Colbert getting up from his seat, walking over to hug his friend and former colleague Dickerson, then turning point his middle finger in the air — seemingly aimed at CBS, which canceledThe Late Showshow in July — to roaring applause.
View this post on Instagram
In apost to his official Instagram pageon Oct. 27, formerCBS Evening Newsco-anchor Dickerson, 57,revealed that he would be stepping away from his position.
"Local news: At the end of this year, I will leave CBS, sixteen years after I sat in asFace the Nationanchor for the first time," he wrote. "I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience's attention and the honor of being a part of the network's history — and I am grateful for my dear colleagues who've made me a better journalist and a better human. I will miss you."
The Late Show with Stephen Colberthost announced on July 17 that his show would beending after 10 seasons.He took over the show in September 2015followingDavid Letterman's departure.
"It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end ofThe Late Showon CBS. I'm not being replaced," he said. "This is all just going away. And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners."
While CBS told PEOPLE in a statement at the time that the choice was "purely a financial" decision, the move came days after Colbertslammed Paramount for giving President Donald Trump $16 million in a settlement, which occurred while the network was in the midst of its Skydance merger that required administration approval before it could move forward. The merger was completed less than a month later on Aug. 7.
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty
"It is self-evident that that is damaging to the reputation of the network, the corporation and the news division," Colbert toldGQin November. "So it is unclear to me why anyone would do that other than to curry favor with a single individual. If people have theories that associate me with that, it's a reasonable thing to think, because CBS or the corporation clearly did it once. But my side of the street is clean and I have no interest in picking up a broom or adding to refuse on the other side of the street. Not my problem."
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"So people can have their theories," he continued. "I have my feelings about not doing the show anymore, but you'd have to show me why that's a fruitful relationship for me to have with my network for the next nine months, for me to engage in that speculation. I have had a great relationship with CBS."
Dickerson — who co-anchored alongsideMaurice Dubois(who also marked his last day at CBS on Thursday) — also spoke out against the settlement on CBS Evening News Plus in July. "We pride ourselves on our BS detector, so it ought to work on ourselves, too," he said at the time.
"When it doesn't, the stakes are real, a loss of public trust, the spread of misinformation," he added. "The Paramount settlement poses a new obstacle. Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust?"
Also during his conversation at the Political Gabfest event, Colbert and Dickerson spoke about what could come next for them after CBS.
When host Plotz asked what's next and suggested they "do something together," both immediately agreed that it was a "great idea," per Slate, as Colbert also said he wanted to use his newfound free time "to learn something that I didn't know before, to do something I've never done before."
Read the original article onPeople