Poynter is reporting that Stephen Colbert made a guest appearance on "Only in Monroe," a community access show in southeast Michigan, just one day after concluding his 11-year tenure as host of CBS's "The Late Show." The New York Times said Colbert, who previously hosted the show in 2015, was joined by rock star Jack White, actor Jeff Daniels, actor Steve Buscemi, rapper Eminem and comedian Byron Allen. Variety reported that CBS temporarily suspended takedown notices for bootleg YouTube uploads of the public access show after an outcry.
Colbert's final "Late Show" episode on Thursday night drew an average of 6.74 million viewers, making it his most-watched weeknight show during his hosting run. CNN noted that this record comes with caveats, as a 2016 Super Bowl special drew over 20 million viewers and David Letterman's 2015 farewell episode garnered 13.7 million. CNN also highlighted that many viewers now opt to watch clips on platforms like YouTube rather than live broadcasts. The finale featured Paul McCartney and a taped sketch with other late-night hosts, including Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Jon Stewart. Notably, Colbert did not mention Donald Trump by name during the final show, despite consistently skewering the president throughout his second term.
Poynter also reported that Pope Leo XIV issued a warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence in his first papal encyclical, "Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence." The New York Times said the Pope called for government regulation of AI companies, protection and retraining for workers, education for critical thinking about the technology, safeguards for children online and ensuring human responsibility for decisions regarding weapons. The Washington Post added that the encyclical positions AI as the catalyst of a new cognitive industrial revolution. The Atlantic noted that the encyclical was informed by over 10 years of dialogue between the Vatican and tech industry representatives.
Additionally, CBS News Radio ceased operations Friday night after nearly 100 years. Poynter said the decision was announced two months prior by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski, who cited "challenging economic realities." Brooke A. Byers, granddaughter of CBS founder William S. Paley, wrote in The Guardian that the closure represents "another crack in the crown jewel that we once relied upon to be educated citizens," expressing sadness over the loss of a trusted news source.