Democrats were quick to blame politics when CBS announced it would cancel Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” after the upcoming season. But one of their own just poured cold water on the outrage—and it wasn’t just anyone. Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville flatly dismissed the idea that Colbert’s cancellation was some grand act of political retribution by the Trump administration.

During a segment on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Carville offered an unscripted response that went completely against the Democrat talking points. “It might have been a purely economic decision,” he told Watters. “I don’t know that, to tell you the truth, Jesse.” He even joked that networks like Fox might just be making better business decisions.

The conversation came after CBS cited financial strain and declining ad revenue as the reasons behind Colbert’s upcoming exit. Paramount, which owns CBS, noted a 40% plunge in ad revenue since 2018. While Colbert peaked at 3.1 million viewers during the Trump years, ratings dropped to just 1.9 million by May 2025.

Carville pointed to that shift in viewership as the core issue. “People just don’t watch it like they used to,” he said. “The media landscape changes… it all changes.”

That’s a far cry from what other Democrats are saying. Senator Chris Murphy insisted that Colbert’s cancellation was timed suspiciously around his criticism of a Trump-era merger, calling it evidence of a “censorship state.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries went so far as to compare Colbert to a political martyr, while Bernie Sanders praised him as “an extraordinary talent” who was cut down for daring to speak truth to power.

But Carville’s no-nonsense take is a reminder that not every Democrat buys the party’s narrative. He framed the late-night shakeup not as some high-stakes constitutional crisis, but as a plain matter of supply and demand in a changing media world.

And to be fair, late-night television has been on the ropes for years. Younger audiences have fled to streaming platforms and social media for their content, and the once-dominant late-night hosts have been scrambling to stay relevant. With viewers tuning out and advertisers pulling back, networks are facing hard financial decisions—regardless of their politics.

Still, the Colbert cancellation comes at a sensitive time. The Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance against what it calls “media activism,” and federal investigations into potential coordination between media outlets and Democratic campaigns are reportedly underway. In that context, it’s no surprise the left sees Colbert’s fall as part of a larger crackdown.

But Carville’s appearance on Fox may signal a growing divide within the Democratic Party itself. Not everyone wants to die on the hill of a fading talk show host, especially when the numbers don’t back up the censorship claims.

For now, Colbert’s legacy as a late-night liberal voice will end not with a bang, but with a ratings whimper—and a surprising dose of honesty from James Carville.