Stephen Colbert Slams Paramount at WGA Awards
Stephen Colbert stole the headlines at the Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday, mocking Paramount while accepting a major award. Here is a look at Colbert's comments, as well as what other stories came out of this major awards night.
Colbert Steals the Show at Last Awards Show Before the Oscars
"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert is making his rounds as his popular late-night television show nears its end. The comedian used his time on stage at the Writers Guild of America Awards' New York ceremony to honor his staff. Colbert spoke after receiving the Walter Bernstein Award, an award named after the famous screenwriter who was blacklisted by the entertainment industry in the 1950s for his political beliefs. According to the guild, the award recognizes individuals who have "demonstrated with creativity, grace and bravery a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity."
During the speech, Colbert slammed the Hollywood blacklist efforts for denying work to entertainers with left-leaning political views. Colbert said that the blacklist was an industry-wide policy that rewards people for being fearful of some members of the federal government.
Colbert also criticized Paramount Skydance, the company that made the decision to cancel his late-night show. Paramount owns CBS, the network that airs "The Late Show." Critics of the decision to cancel Colbert's show allege that Paramount was trying to appease President Donald Trump. Colbert has been a major critic of the president and his administration.
While Paramount said that the decision to cancel the show was based on finances, critics of the move believe that it was made to gain favor with Trump as the company facilitated a merger with Skydance. Colbert's final episode is scheduled to air in May.
Colbert's speech was not all brimstone and fire. He also took time to praise all of his writers individually, sharing personal anecdotes and encouraging Hollywood to offer them jobs when his run comes to an end. Colbert was noticeably emotional when he spoke of how hard it will be to say goodbye to his staff.
Robert Smigel presented the award to Colbert. This was particularly meaningful as it was Smigel who initially hired Colbert to work on the sketch show "The Dana Carvey Show." Smigel praised Colbert in his introduction, saying that he led with integrity and reminding him that his staff would not want their leader to "be anything less than the decent and brave soul that you are."
Other Highlights of the Awards Ceremony
Although Colbert's award and his speech were the big story coming out of the evening, it was not the only headline from the show that leads up to Sunday's Oscars. As expected, the big movie winners were also the Oscars frontrunners. For example, "One Battle After Another" took home the award for best adapted screenplay. The highly acclaimed "Sinners" won best original screenplay.
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. was tapped to host this year's Writers Guild of America Awards' New York ceremony. Wood was in rare form, starting his monologue by touching on a number of controversial issues in the industry.
He first took a jab at an incident at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) last month. Controversy erupted at the BAFTAs when Tourette's advocate John Davidson accidentally shouted a racial slur while two Black presenters were on stage. Wood joked that there were no microphones at the ceremony on Sunday, telling attendees that they could just stand up and project if they needed to yell a slur.
Wood also went after the Amazon documentary "Melania," describing the film as a "$40 million political documentary about a woman who kind of, sort of, hates her husband." The film about Melania Trump was the butt of another joke later in the night when "The Daily Show" host Desi Lydic joked, "there's nothing quite like a good documentary, which you'd know if you watched 'Melania,' because you were probably thinking, 'Wow, I wish I was watching a good documentary.'"
Off stage, Wood offered his thoughts on the red carpet about where he saw late-night television headed. While Wood conceded that he was nervous about the future of this television format, he said there would also be a place for people to be entertained. "The Daily Show" host Jordan Klepper agreed with Wood that late-night television is not going away entirely. Instead, it will simply evolve in a way that keeps people talking about what is happening at the end of the day.
The awards season will come to an end with the Oscars. The 98th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 15, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Comedian Conan O'Brien will return for the second consecutive year to host this year's event.
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