‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ the most-watched late-night program on U.S. broadcast television and a staple of satire aimed at President Donald Trump, is set to conclude its storied 10-year run on CBS in May 2026, as announced by the network.
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This transition marks the end of the show, with Mr. Colbert not being replaced. New episodes will continue to air until the final broadcast season wraps up in May 2026, according to CBS’s official statement.
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount,” CBS executives emphasized, highlighting the business dynamics at play.
Amid this backdrop, Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, is actively seeking approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for an $8.4 billion (€7.2 billion) merger with Skydance Media, signaling significant shifts in the media landscape.
In a heartfelt moment shared with his audience, Mr. Colbert disclosed that he learned about the cancellation just a night prior. The crowd responded with a chorus of discontent, to which Mr. Colbert candidly replied, “Yeah, I share your feelings.”
The 61-year-old comedian further reflected on the bittersweet news, saying, “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”
‘The Late Show’ originally launched in 1993 under the helm of David Letterman, after he was passed over for NBC’s ‘The Tonight Show.’
Mr. Colbert, well-known from ‘The Daily Show’ and his own ‘Colbert Report,’ took on the role in 2015, bringing his unique flair to late-night television.
“It is a fantastic job,” Mr. Colbert expressed. “I wish somebody else was getting it, and it’s a job that I’m looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another ten months.” He took a moment to thank CBS executives, his loyal audience, and the dedicated 200 staff members who have contributed to the show’s success.
Among the guests on yesterday’s episode was Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California. He voiced his concerns on social media, saying, “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.”
Mr. Colbert has been known for his sharp critiques of President Trump throughout his tenure, and he did not shy away from calling the company’s settlement with the former president a “big fat bribe” during Monday’s episode.
Following this, Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, shared a clip of that segment on social media, resonating with Mr. Schiff’s sentiment that “America deserves to know” if the cancellation was politically motivated.
The late-night television landscape has seen a decline in viewership as audiences increasingly shift their attention from traditional TV to streaming platforms. During the 2024 to 2025 season, ‘The Late Show’ maintained an average of 2.5 million viewers, outperforming its competitors, including ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ and ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.’
In light of the announcement, CBS executives expressed their regrets, stating, “Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult,” a sentiment echoed by Paramount Co-CEO and CBS CEO George Cheeks, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach, and CBS Studios President David Stapf.
This cancellation comes on the heels of another late-night program, ‘After Midnight,’ which was canceled earlier this year in March, indicating a challenging period for late-night programming.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International–Monitoring
