# Tooning Out the News
**Tooning Out the News** (later titled **Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News**) is an American animated news satire series in which a cast of cartoon characters, led by anchor James Smartwood, parody top news stories and interview real-world guests, newsmakers, and analysts.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tooning_out_the_news) It premiered on April 7, 2020 on CBS All Access in the United States and Canada, moved to [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) when that service launched, and ran through May 2023.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7) • [3](https://epguides.com/TooningOuttheNews/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | April 7, 2020, exclusively on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Canada[2](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7) |
| Format | Daily five-to-seven-minute segments Tuesday through Friday, combined into a weekly full episode[2](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7) |
| Central character | Animated anchor James Smartwood, voiced by co-creator R.J. Fried[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tooning_out_the_news) |
| Executive producers | Stephen Colbert and Chris Licht of *The Late Show*, and R.J. Fried and Tim Luecke of Showtime's *Our Cartoon President*[2](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7) |
| Networks | CBS All Access, then Paramount+; later listed under Comedy Central[4](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/releases/?view=56947) • [3](https://epguides.com/TooningOuttheNews/) |
| Run | 2020 to May 2023, across three seasons[3](https://epguides.com/TooningOuttheNews/) |
| Recognition | Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-studios/releases/?view=57965) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and format
The series presents a mock cable news channel staffed by animated anchors and correspondents who parody the day's top stories and interview real, live-action guests.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tooning_out_the_news) • [6](https://www.thewrap.com/cbs-all-access-reschedules-stephen-colbert-tooning-out-the-news-premiere-watch-teaser-video/) New five-to-seven-minute segments streamed Tuesday through Friday evenings, culminating in a full weekly episode.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7)
The regular segments parody recognizable cable news formats. "Big News" is hosted by James Smartwood as a satire of ego-centric cable news anchors who offer only conventional takes; "Inside the Hill" features co-hosts discussing political headlines with Washington's elite; other recurring segments include "Hot Take" and "Week in Review".[7](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/releases/?view=54917) • [3](https://epguides.com/TooningOuttheNews/) Some cartoon anchors are modeled on real hosts, such as [Joe Scarborough](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-scarborough) and [Mika Brzezinski](https://www.edgepedia.org/mika-brzezinski).[8](https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/tooning-out-the-news-otter-lee-dishes-on-his-favorite-and-least-favorite-guests-and-improvising-with-the-biggest-names-in-politics/)
Because the interviews are real, the cartoon setting changes the dynamic: the anchors can ask questions with little regard for their own reputations, something human cable news hosts cannot do.[8](https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/tooning-out-the-news-otter-lee-dishes-on-his-favorite-and-least-favorite-guests-and-improvising-with-the-biggest-names-in-politics/) Showrunner R.J. Fried noted that when guests get angry, they are getting upset at a cartoon character.[9](https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/tooning-out-the-news-showrunner-dishes-on-viral-interviews-with-dershowitz-rick-wilson-when-they-get-mad-theyre-getting-upset-at-a-cartoon-character/)
### Cast and characters
The voice cast includes R.J. Fried as James Smartwood, Addison Anderson as Rich Ballard, Jeremy Bent as Teddy Hopper, Ziwe Fumudoh as Tory Hughes, Maureen Monahan as Nicole Vance, and Simone Norman as Eleanor Palmer.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tooning_out_the_news) Other characters mentioned in press coverage include co-anchor Kylie Weaver and correspondent Otter Lee.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-studios/releases/?view=57965) • [8](https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/tooning-out-the-news-otter-lee-dishes-on-his-favorite-and-least-favorite-guests-and-improvising-with-the-biggest-names-in-politics/)
## Guests
The show booked prominent figures from politics and media from its first week. Confirmed guests for the launch included [Dan Abrams](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-abrams), Alan Dershowitz, Donny Deutsch, Thomas Friedman, Nicholas Kristof, Paul Krugman, Rep. [Barbara Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbara-lee), Olivia Nuzzi, Rep. [Donna Shalala](https://www.edgepedia.org/donna-shalala), and Rep. Eric Swalwell.[7](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/releases/?view=54917) Season 1 episodes featured Olivia Nuzzi, Paul Krugman, Rep. Eric Swalwell, John Heilemann, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Marc Lamont Hill, and John Harris, among others.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tooning_out_the_news/s01)
## Production
The series was announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January 2020 as a CBS All Access project from [Stephen Colbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-colbert), requiring a quick turnaround to mock the same day's news.[11](https://www.thewrap.com/stephen-colbert-cbs-all-access-tooning-out-the-news/) When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted production in March 2020, CBS All Access announced that the staff and crew would work remotely and set the April 7 premiere.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7)
The turnaround is unusually fast for animation. According to an Animation World Network feature, each segment is written, edited, animated, and assembled within a 24-hour period: voiceover typically arrives around 4:00 pm, animators lip-sync, motion-capture, and compile it within a few hours, and a late-night crew works on the animatic until around 3:00 am.[12](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/even-pandemic-cant-stop-politics-being-funny-tooning-out-news) [Social distancing](https://www.edgepedia.org/social-distancing) also had a practical benefit for the format, since it allowed the cartoon anchors to interview guests regardless of location.[9](https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/tooning-out-the-news-showrunner-dishes-on-viral-interviews-with-dershowitz-rick-wilson-when-they-get-mad-theyre-getting-upset-at-a-cartoon-character/)
## Broadcast history
The show launched on CBS All Access on April 7, 2020.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7) On February 11, 2021, Paramount+ announced the series' renewal for a second season, retitled *Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News*, premiering Thursday, March 4, 2021 with a special half-hour episode to coincide with the launch of the rebranded service.[4](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/releases/?view=56947) The series was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-studios/releases/?view=57965)
Paramount Global Content lists the series as three seasons totaling 82 episodes, released 2020 to 2022, with executive producers Stephen Colbert, Tom Purcell, and [Jon Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-stewart).[13](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/stephen-colbert-presents-tooning-out-the-news) The episode guide at epguides records 256 episodes and an end date of May 2023, with the show's status listed as canceled/ended.[3](https://epguides.com/TooningOuttheNews/)
## Context in news satire
A Los Angeles Times profile in November 2022 observed that lampoons of the television news genre itself had been scarce since Colbert left Comedy Central for CBS in 2015, partly because the divided political landscape made the genre difficult to spoof; the article credited Fried, a *Late Show* writer who had previously worked on MSNBC's *The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell*, with developing the show's roster of fictional TV news types.[14](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-11-29/stephen-colberts-tooning-out-the-news) The series sits within the broader tradition of American news parody television, a genre scholars have studied for its blending of comedy with political communication.[15](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14789299221100339)
## References
1. [Tooning Out the News, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tooning_out_the_news)
2. [CBS All Access' 'Tooning Out the News' Launching April 7, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/news/cbs-all-access-tooning-out-news-launching-april-7)
3. [Tooning Out the News: a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides](https://epguides.com/TooningOuttheNews/)
4. [Paramount+ Renews Critics' Choice Award Nominated "Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News" for a Second Season, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/releases/?view=56947)
5. [Paramount+'s Emmy-Nominated Series "Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News" Reports on Breaking Stories Out of Comic-Con@Home, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-studios/releases/?view=57965)
6. [CBS All Access Reschedules Stephen Colbert's 'Tooning Out the News' Premiere, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/cbs-all-access-reschedules-stephen-colbert-tooning-out-the-news-premiere-watch-teaser-video/)
7. [CBS All Access' Animated Series "Tooning Out the News" Resumes Production Remotely and Will Premiere April 7, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/releases/?view=54917)
8. [Tooning Out the News' Otter Lee Dishes on His Favorite and Least Favorite Guests, Mediaite](https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/tooning-out-the-news-otter-lee-dishes-on-his-favorite-and-least-favorite-guests-and-improvising-with-the-biggest-names-in-politics/)
9. [RJ Fried Talks to Mediaite About 'Tooning Out the News', Mediaite](https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/tooning-out-the-news-showrunner-dishes-on-viral-interviews-with-dershowitz-rick-wilson-when-they-get-mad-theyre-getting-upset-at-a-cartoon-character/)
10. [Tooning Out the News: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tooning_out_the_news/s01)
11. [Stephen Colbert Sets CBS All Access Cartoon Series Mocking the Same Day's News, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/stephen-colbert-cbs-all-access-tooning-out-the-news/)
12. [Even a Pandemic Can't Stop Politics from Being Funny on 'Tooning Out the News', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/even-pandemic-cant-stop-politics-being-funny-tooning-out-news)
13. [Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News, Paramount Global Content](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/stephen-colbert-presents-tooning-out-the-news)
14. [Stephen Colbert's cartoon news show can be as scary as the real thing, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-11-29/stephen-colberts-tooning-out-the-news)
15. [Nightly News or Nightly Jokes? News Parody as a Form of Political Communication, Journalism Studies](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14789299221100339)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Adult animated comedy series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license