Stephen Colbert Announces End of The Late Show
In a shocking announcement, Stephen Colbert revealed that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will conclude its run in May 2026, marking a significant shift in late-night television.
Stephen Colbert Announces End of The Late Show
Stephen Colbert is saying a reluctant goodnight to late night.
In a shocking announcement during Thursday’s taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Colbert announced that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will conclude its run in May 2026, marking the end of an era and further diminishing the late-night landscape.
“Before I start the show, I want to announce something I found out just last night: Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the Late Show in May,” he said. Several boos can then be heard from the crowd to which Colbert said, “Yeah, I share your feelings.”
He went on to thank CBS for the opportunity, saying he was grateful for them “giving me this chair and giving me this theater to call home.”
He also thanked the 200 people who worked on the show. “It is a fantastic job. I wish someone else was getting it, and I am looking forward to doing it for the next ten months.”
CBS will retire The Late Show franchise entirely, concluding a 30-plus-year run that began in 1993 with David Letterman and continued under Colbert’s leadership since 2015.
In a joint statement, George Cheeks, co-CEO of Paramount Global and president and CEO of CBS; Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment; and David Stapf, president of CBS Studios, said: “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television. 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.”
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Colbert broke out as one of Jon Stewart‘s merry band of correspondents on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and later launched The Colbert Report for the Paramount-owned cable net. He took over The Late Show in September 2015, following Letterman’s retirement. Known for his sharp political satire and cultural commentary, Colbert helped reshape the show’s tone and became a beloved talk show host with his intelligent monologues and high-profile guests.
The CBS statement continued to praise Colbert for his work. “Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas. The show has been No. 1 in late night for nine straight seasons; Stephen’s comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist.”
The announcement comes just two days after The Late Show earned two Emmy nominations, for talk series and directing for a variety series. The dearth of late-night programming meant that only three shows made the cut at the Emmys for Best Talk Series.
With James Corden signing off CBS’ Late Late Show two years ago and now with the cancellation of The Late Show, the number of legacy network late-night talk shows is down to three: NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers, and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Kimmel was among the first peers to sound off the cancellation, offering a profane Instagram story blasting CBS.
Whether this news will give Colbert’s show an edge in the tight race is now up to TV Academy voters. Here’s where our prediction polling stands at the moment.
