CBS will reportedly pay a licensing fee for the unauthorized use of Peanuts‘ theme “Linus and Lucy” in Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale. For those unversed, “Linus and Lucy” is a widely recognized jazz instrumental by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. Colbert joked on his show that he hoped this didn’t cost CBS any money. The 62-year-old talk show host concluded his beloved show after 11 glorious seasons in May.
CBS to pay licensing fee after Stephen Colbert’s unauthorized use of ‘Peanuts’ music in Late Show finale
CBS finalized a deal with Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., after Stephen Colbert’s unauthorized use of Peanuts music in the Late Show finale. The network struck a deal for an undisclosed amount. As part of the licensing agreement, Lee Mendelson Film Prods. will donate those proceeds to Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen (via Variety).
In a segment of the May 21 finale, Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine performed “Linus and Lucy.” Interestingly, while they performed the song, Colbert quipped, “Oh no! I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!”
World Central Kitchen is a non-profit organization that provides healthy and nutritious meals during global crises or civil unrest. Notably, Colbert and the show donated $2.5 million to World Central Kitchen during the penultimate episode of The Late Show.
Chairman Jason Mendelson of Lee Mendelson Film Prods. commented on the use of “Linus and Lucy” on Colbert’s late show in a brief statement. Mendelson noted, “LMFP found the music’s use on The Late Show funny and entertaining, and is proud to support World Central Kitchen’s mission. 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.”
The internet had interesting reactions to this on X (formerly Twitter). One fan commented, “Imagine getting a payout just because someone played music on a final episode… and it still ends up feeding people lol.” A second fan wrote, “Colbert pressed play and accidentally fed the whole world. Snoopy dance cost CBS millions but WCK got fed.”
Originally reported by Anwaya Mane on Mandatory.
