CBS Stops Its Copyright Claims on Stephen Colbert’s Special Public Access Show After Heavy Backlash — Allowing it to Be Freely Shared Online

CBS suspended further copyright takedown notices targeting uploads of Stephen Colbert’s surprise return to the Michigan public access show Only in Monroe on Sunday after backlash erupted online over the move.

The backlash came over unofficial uploads of the episode, which aired Friday night, just 24 hours after Colbert’s Late Show finale aired.

Several clips and full uploads posted by third-party accounts had already amassed hundreds of thousands of views before Colbert launched an official YouTube channel carrying the episode.

One unofficial upload by The Desk had drawn more than 620,000 views by Monday, Variety reported, outpacing the official version on Colbert’s newly launched page.

Soon after, the accounts began protesting copyright enforcement notices served by CBS, demanding that the content be taken down.

In a statement published in Variety and Deadline, CBS defended the takedown notices as routine but said the company would pause further action “until additional review.” A network spokesperson told the outlet:

Stephen Colbert’s return to Monroe in the Only in Monroe episode was financed and produced by CBS Studios and was posted on Stephen Colbert’s YouTube channel in collaboration with Monroe Community Media and The Late Show’s YouTube channels. As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorized websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent such as Stephen Colbert. However, for this episode, we have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review.

Responding to the statement, The Desk’s founder and editor Matthew Keys, who uploaded the episode in full to X, wrote:

The episode carried symbolic weight for the comedian, who first introduced himself as David Letterman’s successor by appearing on the tiny Michigan public-access program in 2015, between jobs and weeks ahead of his Late Show debut.

Much like the original stunt, Friday’s hosting appearance arrived without warning and leaned hard into the absurdly hyper-local charm that made the first episode go viral. Colbert opened with Monroe-specific jokes before diving into a segment about a rivalry between local hot dog institutions “Monroe’s Original” and “Vince’s,” later joined by Michigan native Jack White for a “Lady and the Tramp”-style chili dog taste test.

Returning Only in Monroe hosts Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson also appeared alongside Colbert.

The episode quickly spiraled into the kind of surreal small-town chaos, with Steve Buscemi appearing in a spoof commercial for a pizza restaurant sharing his last name, and actor Jeff Daniels stopping by to make a sandwich.

Returning to the Only in Monroe set, Colbert opened with a jab at his old bosses: “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount.”

Watch above via YouTube.

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