Stephen Colbert and Safra Catz are not known to have a personal, family, or direct business relationship. Their documented connection is corporate: Catz joined the board of Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS, while Colbert was still the host of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
That connection has attracted attention because Catz became part of Paramount’s new leadership structure shortly after CBS announced that The Late Show would end. The dates, however, are important. CBS announced the cancellation on July 17, 2025. The Paramount-Skydance merger did not close until August 7, 2025, the date Catz formally became a director of the combined company.
What Is the Connection Between Stephen Colbert and Safra Catz?
The connection between Stephen Colbert and Safra Catz runs through CBS and Paramount Skydance Corporation.
Colbert hosted CBS’s flagship late-night program from September 2015 until its final broadcast on May 21, 2026. Catz, meanwhile, became a director of Paramount Skydance in August 2025 after Skydance Media completed its merger with Paramount Global, the corporate parent of CBS.
There is no reliable public record showing that Colbert and Catz worked together directly, had a personal relationship, or were business partners. Catz’s connection to Colbert is therefore best understood as an indirect corporate relationship.
For roughly nine months, from the completion of the Paramount-Skydance merger in August 2025 until the end of The Late Show in May 2026, Catz sat on the board of the company that ultimately controlled the CBS network carrying Colbert’s program.
Stephen Colbert and Safra Catz Timeline
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| September 8, 2015 | Stephen Colbert begins hosting The Late Show on CBS. |
| July 2, 2025 | Paramount reaches a $16 million settlement in Donald Trump’s lawsuit concerning a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. |
| July 14, 2025 | Colbert publicly criticizes the settlement during his Late Show monologue. |
| July 17, 2025 | CBS announces The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, describing the move as a financial decision. |
| July 24, 2025 | The FCC approves Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount. |
| August 7, 2025 | The Paramount-Skydance merger closes and Safra Catz becomes a director of the combined company. |
| September 22, 2025 | Catz leaves the Oracle CEO position and becomes Executive Vice Chair of Oracle’s board. |
| May 21, 2026 | Colbert hosts the final episode of The Late Show. |
| July 21, 2026 | Catz is elected again to Paramount Skydance’s board. |
| September 2026 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert wins the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series for its final season. |
Who Is Safra Catz?
Safra Catz is one of the technology industry’s longest-serving senior executives. She joined Oracle in 1999 and held several major positions, including president and chief financial officer, before becoming co-CEO in September 2014. She later became Oracle’s sole CEO following Mark Hurd’s departure.
Catz served as Oracle CEO until September 22, 2025. Oracle then appointed Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia as CEOs while Catz moved into the position of Executive Vice Chair of the Oracle Board of Directors.
Her media-industry experience also predates Paramount. She served on The Walt Disney Company’s board from 2018 until 2024. Current Paramount filings list Catz as a director and member of the company’s Compensation Committee.
As of 2026, Paramount’s board describes her background as particularly valuable because of her experience managing large global organizations and her knowledge of the technology sector.
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Why Did Safra Catz Join Paramount Skydance?
Catz’s Paramount role is closely connected to the Ellison network surrounding the Skydance transaction.
David Ellison founded Skydance Media and became chairman and CEO of the combined Paramount following the August 2025 merger. His father, Larry Ellison, is Oracle’s co-founder, chairman and chief technology officer and worked alongside Catz for decades at Oracle.
Paramount’s SEC filings provide an even more specific connection. Under the combined company’s governance arrangements, Safra Catz was nominated as an Ellison director nominee, alongside David Ellison, Andrew Brandon-Gordon and Paul Marinelli.
That helps explain why Catz’s name can appear in searches involving CBS, Paramount and prominent CBS personalities such as Stephen Colbert despite Catz herself not being an entertainer or television executive.
Did Safra Catz Cancel Stephen Colbert’s Show?
There is no credible public evidence showing that Safra Catz personally decided to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The timeline makes a direct claim particularly difficult to support. CBS announced the cancellation on July 17, 2025. Catz officially became a director of Paramount Skydance when the merger closed on August 7, 2025, about three weeks later.
CBS executives George Cheeks, Amy Reisenbach and David Stapf said the decision was “purely financial” and was not related to the program’s performance, content or other events involving Paramount. Reuters reported that The Late Show was nevertheless the most-watched U.S. broadcast late-night program during the 2024-25 season, averaging about 2.5 million viewers.
Catz later became part of the board governing the combined company, but a corporate board position should not automatically be interpreted as direct responsibility for individual television programming decisions.
No Paramount filing reviewed for this article identifies Catz as the person who ordered or approved Colbert’s cancellation.
Why Did Colbert’s Cancellation Become Controversial?
The controversy came largely from its timing.
On July 2, 2025, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump involving CBS’s editing of a 2024 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Paramount did not issue an apology as part of the settlement, and the money was designated for Trump’s future presidential library and related fees and costs.
Colbert subsequently attacked the settlement on his CBS program. In a July 14 monologue, he characterized it as a “big fat bribe” connected to Paramount’s effort to obtain approval for its pending Skydance transaction. That characterization was Colbert’s opinion, not an established legal finding.
Only days later, CBS announced that his show would end.
The sequence prompted Democratic senators including Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren to publicly question whether political considerations had played a role. The Writers Guild of America also challenged the explanation and called attention to the timing. CBS, however, explicitly maintained that the decision was financial rather than political.
The FCC approved the Skydance-Paramount transaction on July 24, 2025, and the merger formally closed on August 7.
These events explain why searches may link Colbert with executives and directors connected to the new Paramount, including Safra Catz. They do not by themselves establish that Catz participated in the cancellation.
What Role Does Safra Catz Actually Have at Paramount?
Catz is a director, not Paramount’s chief executive or CBS’s programming chief.
Paramount’s 2026 corporate disclosures list a ten-member board including Catz, David Ellison, Barbara Byrne, Andrew Campion, Gerald Cardinale, Andrew Brandon-Gordon, Justin Hamill, Sherry Lansing, Paul Marinelli and John L. Thornton. David Ellison serves as chairman and CEO.
Catz also serves on Paramount’s Compensation Committee. According to the company’s filings, that committee oversees areas such as executive compensation philosophy, incentive plans and compensation arrangements for senior officers.
That is different from being the executive responsible for scheduling or cancelling individual CBS television programs.
Her position nevertheless gives her a role in the broader governance of one of America’s largest entertainment companies.
Where Stephen Colbert Stands Now
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired its final episode on May 21, 2026, ending both Colbert’s 11-year tenure and the CBS Late Show franchise that began with David Letterman in 1993. CBS reported that Colbert had hosted more than 1,800 episodes.
The program subsequently received major recognition for its final season. At the 2026 Emmy Awards, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won Outstanding Variety Series, while Colbert was also among the winners for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
As of September 2026, Colbert is no longer a CBS late-night host.
Where Safra Catz Stands Now
Safra Catz remains active at both Oracle and Paramount.
Oracle identifies her as Executive Vice Chair of its board, following her 11-year period as CEO from September 2014 to September 2025.
She also remains a director of Paramount Skydance. A July 2026 SEC filing confirmed her election to the company’s board effective July 21, 2026, providing current documentation that her Paramount position continued beyond Colbert’s final broadcast.
What the Evidence Actually Shows
The available evidence supports a relatively straightforward explanation of the Stephen Colbert and Safra Catz connection.
Colbert was a prominent CBS host. CBS belonged to Paramount. Catz became a director of the new Paramount Skydance corporation after the Skydance merger.
There is no verified evidence of a personal relationship between them, no documented partnership, and no reliable evidence that Catz personally cancelled Colbert’s program.
The cancellation controversy and Paramount’s corporate transition happened within weeks of each other, which creates an understandable search connection. But the dates matter: Colbert’s cancellation was announced before Catz formally took her seat on the Paramount Skydance board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Stephen Colbert and Safra Catz related?
No known family relationship exists between Stephen Colbert and Safra Catz. Their documented connection is through Paramount and CBS.
Did Safra Catz work with Stephen Colbert?
There is no reliable public evidence that they directly worked together. Colbert worked for CBS, while Catz became a director of CBS parent Paramount Skydance in August 2025.
Did Safra Catz have anything to do with The Late Show cancellation?
No credible public evidence establishes that she made or personally participated in the cancellation decision. CBS announced the show’s ending on July 17, 2025, while Catz officially joined the Paramount Skydance board on August 7, 2025.
Is Safra Catz the CEO of Paramount?
No. David Ellison is Paramount’s chairman and CEO. Safra Catz serves as a director and is a member of its Compensation Committee.
Is Safra Catz still the CEO of Oracle?
No. Oracle announced on September 22, 2025 that Catz would move from CEO to Executive Vice Chair of the board. Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia became Oracle’s CEOs.
What happened to Stephen Colbert’s Late Show?
CBS ended The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on May 21, 2026 and retired the franchise rather than replacing Colbert with another host. CBS said the cancellation was financially motivated. The show later won the 2026 Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series.
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