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Very surprising news out of the television world on Thursday:
The Late Show is coming to an end.
No, Stephen Colbert isn’t being fired. Nor is he quitting the program.
CBS has simply decided that next year will be the final one for the series. EVER.
Before we start the show I want to let you know something that I found out just last night,” Colbert said to open the latest episode’s taping. “Next year will be our last season, the network [CBS] will be ending The Late Show in May.”
A clearly stunned audience responded to this announcement with loud boos.
“I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS,” Colbert went on.
“I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away. I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners … And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, and all around the world.”
Colbert also thanked his band and the 200 crew members that have worked alongside of him.
“We get to do this show for each other everyday all day,” he continued, adding that he wishes “somebody else” would get it after his departure.
Alas.
We have no idea if any of this is related, but the confirmation came two days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of his network CBS, after it settled with President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes story.
“I am offended,” Colbert said in his monologue Monday evening. “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”
He said the technical name in legal circles for the deal was “big fat bribe.”
For its part, Paramount and CBS executives said in a statement the cancellation “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…
“Our admiration, affection and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult…
“The accomplishments of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”
The Late Show began in 1993 and hosted by David Letterman until September 2015 when Colbert replaced him. They have been the only two hosts.
Based on numbers alone, in comparison to other late-night talk show, the series was a hit.
The most recent ratings from Nielsen state that Colbert is winning his timeslot, averaging about 2.417 million viewers across 41 new episodes. It also said his late night show was the only one to gain viewers so far in 2025.
