What To Know
- Stephen Colbert’s final Late Show episode featured the house band playing Peanuts music without a license.
- CBS will now pay a licensing fee to Lee Mendelson Film Productions, but the fee will be donated to charity.
- The incident comes amid CBS’s cancellation of The Late Show, which the network attributed to financial losses.
Stephen Colbert got one over on his former network bosses at CBS on the final episode of The Late Show last month when his house band played Peanuts music without a license.
In the segment, Colbert read a headline about how the license holders for Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts compositions are quick to file lawsuits against anyone who uses the music without proper permission. “Anyone illegally using that music is going to have to pay through the nose,” the host said.
Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine then began playing “Linus and Lucy” as Colbert spoke. “Louis! Is the band right now playing the same Peanuts music that I just said people were being sued for for using without permission? Is that what it’s doing?” Colbert asked.
When Cato confirmed that’s what was happening, a sarcastic Colbert replied, “Oh no! I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!”
Well, it did cost CBS money, as the network will pay a licensing fee to Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc. (LMFP), according to Entertainment Weekly. However, LMFP, which owns the rights to the Peanuts animated specials and soundtracks, has confirmed that CBS’ payment will be donated to World Central Kitchen.
World Central Kitchen, the non-profit founded by chef and restaurateur José Andrés, previously received a $2.5 million donation from The Late Show during its penultimate episode.
“LMFP found the music’s use on The Late Show funny and entertaining, and is proud to support World Central Kitchen’s mission,” LMFP’s chairman, Jason Mendelson, said in a statement. “A principal goal of our enforcement actions is to educate individuals, businesses, and government entities about the need to obtain written license agreements to use music in a commercial setting.”
Last July, CBS cited financial reasons for axing The Late Show, claiming the show loses $40 million annually. At the time, some critics argued the axing was politically motivated, with parent company Paramount hoping to appease President Donald Trump amid its merger with Skydance, which required government approval.