It appears that comedian and former Late Show host Stephen Colbert has, in fact, gotten the last laugh.
On the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, broadcast on Thursday, May 21, Colbert couldn’t help but take one final blow at CBS over his cancellation. Colbert used the Peanuts classic tune “Linus and Lucy” without first being granted permission.
In a segment of the May 21 finale, Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine performed “Linus and Lucy” while Colbert discussed how Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc. has been enforcing its copyrights for the Guaraldi song catalog. On the episode, as Cato and the band performed the song, Colbert joked, “Oh no! I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!”
The segment in question saw Colbert cheekily read a headline about how the license-holders for Guaraldi’s Peanuts compositions tend to sue anyone who uses the music without going through the proper licensing channels.
“Anyone illegally using that music is going to have to pay through the nose,” Colbert says as Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine began to perform the track.
The cat’s out of the bag now. CBS has been fined an undisclosed amount of money by Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc. to be paid as a donation to the World Central Kitchen. It will be the second donation to the organization following a check presented by Colbert on the penultimate episode for $2.5 million.
Though definitely unauthorized, LMFP chairman Jason Mendelson (son of late Peanuts producer, Lee Mendelson and Happy, New Year Charlie Brown Marcie voice actor) says in a statement that the company found Colbert’s use of “Linus and Lucy” “funny and entertaining.” He added that they were “proud to support World Central Kitchen’s mission,” and said, “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.”
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