Liberal comedian Rosie O'Donnell sharply criticized CBS over its settlement of President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the network, arguing the agreement represented a damaging concession that weakened confidence in the independence of the American press.
Speaking Monday on "Bleep! with Ana Navarro," the podcast hosted by "The View" co-host Ana Navarro, O'Donnell accused CBS of yielding to political pressure by agreeing to settle the case for $16 million. She echoed comments previously made by former CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, who had denounced the agreement when it was announced.
"[CBS] capitulated. They did exactly what Stephen Colbert said they did," O'Donnell said. "They gave him a bribe and it's unforgivable."
O'Donnell argued that the settlement pointed to a broader problem within the media, saying independent journalism has become increasingly difficult to find.
"We need a very vibrant, alive, independent media," she said. "And we no longer have it in this country."
The lawsuit centered on CBS's handling of an October 2024 "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump alleged that the network deceptively edited Harris' response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a way that benefited her during the presidential campaign.
Paramount Global and CBS reached a settlement with Trump in July 2025 for $16 million. The agreement covered legal expenses and included a contribution to Trump's future presidential library or charitable causes. The settlement did not include an apology or any admission that CBS had engaged in journalistic misconduct, and none of the money was paid directly to Trump.
At the time, Trump's legal team described the outcome as a significant victory.
"CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle," a spokesperson for Trump's legal team said after the agreement was announced.
During her conversation with Navarro, O'Donnell also discussed her decision to move to Ireland following Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election. While explaining her decision, she referred to Trump as a "convicted sexual rapist."
Navarro interrupted to caution O'Donnell about the description before the discussion shifted back to the CBS settlement.
Trump has not been criminally convicted of rape. In a civil case, a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. Separately, ABC News agreed to contribute $15 million to Trump's future presidential foundation or museum after anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly stated on air that Trump had been found liable for rape.
Fox News Digital reported that it contacted both the White House and CBS for comment but did not immediately receive responses.
Colbert had previously criticized CBS over the settlement during an episode of "The Late Show," suggesting the timing raised questions because Paramount was awaiting federal approval for its multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media.
"I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles. It's 'big fat bribe,'" Colbert said.
Just three days after those remarks, CBS announced that "The Late Show" would end following the 2025-2026 television season. The network said the decision was based on financial considerations and denied that it was connected to Colbert's commentary or any developments involving Paramount.
"It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount," CBS said in a July 2025 statement announcing the cancellation.
Colbert hosted the program's final episode in May.
Three weeks after the settlement with Trump, the Federal Communications Commission approved Skydance Media's $8 billion acquisition of Paramount. The merger officially closed in August 2025.
Throughout the regulatory process, Paramount maintained that the lawsuit and the merger review were unrelated.
"The lawsuit is completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process," the company said during the proceedings.