By Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone | During the final episode of The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert purposely used copyrighted music during a segment, a move that could potentially cost his former bosses at CBS a lot of dough if the music was unauthorized, and the usage were to end in a lawsuit.
“Peanuts is a powerful brand and corporation in and of itself. Anyone illegally using that music is going to have to pay through the nose,” he said, before addressing his band leader, Louis Cato. “Louis, Louis! Is the band right now playing the same Peanuts music I just said people were being sued for, for using without permission? Is that what you’re doing?” The band was indeed launching into the familiar Vince Guaraldi song. “Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!” Colbert said.
The Late Show was canceled in July 2025 after CBS and its parent company Paramount settled a $16 million lawsuit with President Donald Trump. CBS cited the cancellation was a “purely a financial decision.” However, many speculated that Paramount killed the show to curry favor with Trump — Colbert has been a vocal critic — and the FCC to help secure the merger between Paramount and Skydance.
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Go here to read the full story:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/stephen-colbert-uses-copyrighted-peanuts-050636331.html
Stephen Colbert’s Finale CBS Dig Might Actually ‘Cost’ Them
By Rishabh Shandilya, Yahoo Mandatory
Stephen Colbert signed off with one final jab aimed at CBS during his Late Show farewell. The late-night host expressed mixed emotions and sarcasm as he closed an 11-season run on the network. His final episode balanced heartfelt moments with pointed comedy as fellow hosts and celebrity guests joined the sendoff.
Stephen Colbert did not leave The Late Show quietly. During his farewell episode, the longtime host slipped in one last joke directed at CBS while discussing a copyright lawsuit tied to Peanuts music. While talking about companies suing over unauthorized use of the famous theme, Colbert’s band suddenly started playing the recognizable tune live in the studio.
Pretending to panic, Colbert turned to bandleader Louis Cato and joked, “Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money.” The audience immediately caught the dig, especially given the controversy surrounding the show’s cancellation (via The Daily Beast).
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Go here to read the full article:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/stephen-colbert-finale-cbs-dig-091149730.html
It’s a Copyright Lawsuit, Charlie Brown
The owner of the “Peanuts” catalog would really like it if companies and the U.S. government stopped using its music without permission.
By Aimee Ortiz, New York Times
The owner of music used in “Peanuts” animated specials, including the memorable holiday classic “O Tannenbaum” and the unmistakable “Linus and Lucy” tunes, sued three companies and the U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday. It accused them of using its captivating bops in social media posts and a video game without permission.
Lee Mendelson Film Productions filed the copyright infringement suits in federal courts in New York and Washington, D.C. The songs are part of the programs that brought Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang from Charles Schulz’s comic strips off the page and into families’ living rooms.
Marc Jacobson, a lawyer for Lee Mendelson Film Productions, said during an interview on Thursday that the company had been plagued by unauthorized use of its music and decided to “make a statement and file all four lawsuits on the same day.”
“We’ve written demand letters to people over and over again, and these four companies either didn’t respond to us or they responded in a way that indicated they really didn’t care that they were using the music without permission,” he said.
In addition to the U.S. government, the three accused companies are Heritage Auctions, an auction house; Buckle-Down Inc., a belt company; and GameMill Entertainment, a video game publisher.
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Read more here on this important facet of the Music Business:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/arts/music/peanuts-music-us-government-lawsuit.html
