A rumor that circulated online in late August and early September 2025 claimed Stephen Colbert, the host of CBS' "The Late Show," signed a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a seven-episode series. According to the story, Colbert pledged to donate a significant portion of the deal to music education and youth programs.
The claim circulated in the weeks after CBS and their parent company Paramount Global announced the cancellation of Colbert's show, scheduling it to end in May 2026.
For example, on Aug. 29, a user managing the Humor Perspective Facebook page posted (archived), in part, "BREAKING! Television legend Stephen Colbert has just signed a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series chronicling his extraordinary journey through decades of American television history." The post, which received more than 203,000 reactions, displayed a picture of Colbert sitting at his "Late Show" desk.
Snopes readers also emailed us to ask whether the rumor was true. One wrote, "Did Colbert sign a contract with Netflix?"
(Humor Perspective/Facebook)
A page manager submitted three top comments under the post, each with a link forwarding users to an advertisement-filled article.
(Humor Perspective/Facebook)
One Bluesky post (archived) promoting the rumor received more than 43,000 likes, while at least two X posts each earned more than 1 million views. Other users also shared this rumor on Facebook, Instagram (archived), LinkedIn (archived), TikTok and X (archived). One Threads user's post (archived), with more than 53,000 likes, said Netflix signed Colbert to a nine-episode deal, as opposed to seven episodes.
However, searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo and Google for information published on or before Aug. 29 found no news media outlets reporting about Colbert signing a deal with Netflix. Prominent news media outlets would have widely reported this rumor, if true.
Rather, while the future possibility remains of Colbert signing a deal with Netflix or any company, whoever authored the story in August fabricated the entire tale.
Searches of social media platforms determined the Humor Perspective Facebook page's post was the earliest available record of the rumor. That page's owner cited humor and satire in their bio, meaning the matter originated as an self-described attempt at satire. The page's owners — including three accounts linked to Vietnam, according to the page's "Page transparency" tab — aimed to earn advertising revenue on the websites linked from their Facebook post.
Snopes emailed Netflix to receive official confirmation that the rumor was not true, as well as contacted the Humor Perspective Facebook page's owners to ask questions, and will update this article if we receive more information.
Digging into the 'satirical' rumor
The Humor Perspective page's stories contained multiple indications of artificial intelligence-generated images and text. For example, other posts showed AI-created pictures of Colbert helping vendors sell vegetables at a farmer's market, embracing a dog after establishing a sanctuary for pets and purchasing a luxury hotel one day after the hotel's staff kicked him out. The post about Colbert signing a deal with Netflix did not display AI imagery but did feature article text resembling AI-generated stories.
The most prominent of the three articles appearing in top comments under the in-question post displayed a headline reading, "BREAKING! Television legend Stephen Colbert has just signed a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series chronicling his extraordinary journey through decades of American television history." The end of the article featured text reading very much the same as the way AI tools often attempt to conclude stories with a bit of inspiration:
Stephen Colbert's $13.5 million Netflix deal is a milestone in the history of American television. But the significance of the announcement goes beyond money or fame. By combining political storytelling, personal resilience, and a commitment to supporting the next generation through music education, Colbert is once again proving that he is more than just a comedian or television host — he is an enduring symbol of inspiration.
In an industry often dominated by spectacle, Colbert's story reminds us that the greatest legacies are built not only on what we achieve, but on what we give back. And with this Netflix series, Stephen Colbert is giving fans, students and dreamers everywhere a gift they will never forget.
Regarding the Humor Perspective Facebook page's owners residing in Vietnam, we previously reported about the Southeast Asian country's alleged involvement in promoting false rumors on Facebook about the July 2025 Texas flash floods.