Stephen Colbert references potential copyright issues after playing the “Peanuts” theme song during the final episode of “The Late Show.” Multiple outlets report that Colbert used the Vince Guaraldi music—associated with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and the Charlie Brown franchise—during a segment near the end of the program. Colbert jokingly said he hopes the music choice does not “cost CBS any money,” acknowledging that the broadcast could raise legal concerns.
Billboard reports that the rights holder for the Charlie Brown and the Peanuts characters has filed four copyright lawsuits earlier in the week over alleged unauthorized uses of Guaraldi’s jazz scores. The lawsuits are described as targeting various parties for copyright infringement related to the music’s use.
Rolling Stone focuses on Colbert’s on-air comment following the music inclusion in the finale, framing it as a direct acknowledgment of the broader copyright dispute involving the “Peanuts” soundtrack. Taken together, the reports indicate that the “Late Show” finale includes at least one high-profile use of the copyrighted theme while the underlying litigation surrounding Guaraldi’s compositions is already in progress.
