Lorne Michaels Believes That Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon’s Jobs Are Safe — For Now

Lorne Michaels says that NBC isn’t about to drop The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon or Late Night with Seth Meyers anytime soon, but this is the same guy who isn’t convinced that CBS canned Stephen Colbert for political reasons.

Last month, Paramount Global announced that it will end the Late Show franchise in May 2026 following the expiration of Colbert’s contract, a move that came just weeks after Colbert publicly accused his parent company of open bribery in their $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over his baseless lawsuit against 60 Minutes. Days later, Trump’s FCC approved Paramount’s acquisition deal with Skydance Media, prompting comedians from across the TV landscape to erupt in outrage over what they perceived to be the President putting undue pressure on media companies to silence his most prominent comedic critics.

Thankfully for the late-night hosts of NBC, Comcast isn’t planning any massive, multi-billion dollar mergers anytime soon. And, in a new interview with Puck founder Matthew Belloni, Michaels expressed his belief that Comcast CEO Brian Roberts wouldn’t pull the plug on the last two legacy late-night shows left on TV because he “has integrity.”

At the same time, Michaels shied away from accusing his competitors at CBS of firing Colbert in order to appease Trump, claiming that “I don’t think any of us are going to ever know” if the Late Show cancellation really was political in nature. Maybe Michaels isn’t an expert on integrity after all.

Michaels said that, when CBS gave The Late Show with Stephen Colbert the ax, “I was just stunned,” though he understood some of the pressure that Colbert’s late-night show was already under before they began beefing with their parent company. “I’m on the side of the people who do shows, but there’s two audiences now. There’s the audience that is (watching on) TikTok and YouTube, and there’s a linear audience. Both Seth (Meyers) and Colbert are heirs to David Letterman. You know what I mean? Conan (O’Brien) as well.” 

“They’re going to be doing that (type of show), just as I’m still doing SNL, as if everybody’s watching that night,” Michaels said of the traditional late-night TV comedy model that CBS has wholly abandoned, though he does have one future-proof late-night comic in his stable. Said Michaels, “Jimmy (Fallon) does a lot of stuff that you can watch all day.”

Fallon’s internet-friendly version of The Tonight Show certainly appears to be the new industry standard with its consistent appeal to online platforms, but, in an increasingly tumultuous TV landscape, even late-night’s most inoffensive host doesn’t get any guarantees past his current contract. While Michaels said that Roberts will protect both Fallon and Meyers from cancellation — or, at least “I think” he will — the entire industry is still beholden to Trump’s FCC in one way or another.

“At the same time, everyone has (broadcast) licenses,” Michaels ominously pointed out, though he doubts Fallon or Meyers could represent an existential threat to NBC’s FCC standing. “I really don’t believe that we affect things.”

Michaels is clearly aware of the danger that Trump’s unchecked power over the American media industry poses to his own late-night shows, which makes it strange that he isn’t willing to admit what everyone already knows: Colbert’s constant criticisms of Trump were a political liability that Paramount eliminated just days before getting the President’s seal of approval on a multi-billion-dollar deal.

If and when Comcast does make another multi-billion-dollar move that requires FCC approval, don’t be surprised if we see Fallon run his fingers through the President’s hair for the second time.