“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is ending in May 2026, Colbert announced during the taping of the show before his studio audience on July 17. Not only is his edition of the show ending, but “The Late Show” as a franchise will be retired altogether, CBS announced.
“The Late Show” was pioneered by David Letterman on CBS starting in 1993 and has run continuously ever since, with Colbert taking over in 2015.
In the video, which you can watch below, of Colbert announcing the end of “The Late Show,” he makes clear that this was not his decision but something he “found out last night.” With palpable regret he said, “Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending ‘The Late Show’ in May.” As loud boos erupted from the entire audience, Colbert added, “Yeah, I share your feelings.”
Everyone seeing this stunning news will immediately assume that the cancellation is related to CBS parent company Paramount Global’s impending merger with Skydance, which has resulted in decisions across the company to curry favor with President Donald Trump so that his Department of Justice will approve the merger. The Skydance acquisition has already resulted in editorial interference at “60 Minutes,” something protested by Scott Pelley.
There had been elevated chatter lately about the future of several late night properties amid declining ratings and ad dollars for all of the network shows, and in the case of Paramount Global, which owns CBS, and is the parent company for both “The Late Show” on CBS and “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, how much it would continue to tolerate the anti-Trump stance of “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.
Not so fast regarding “The Late Show,” says CBS. Trying to get ahead of the obvious assumption, the network said in a statement obtained by IndieWire, “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.”
The statement is attributed to George Cheeks, Co-CEO Paramount Global and President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, as well as Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment, and David Stapf, President, CBS Studios.
“‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,” began the statement. “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.”
After the aside implying the merger had nothing to do with the decision, the statement continued, “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 #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 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.”
Watch Colbert’s full announcement below.
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