The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been cancelled and will end in May, according to an announcement made by the network CBS.
Colbert, who has hosted the talk show since 2015, announced the news during Thursday night’s taping, revealing that he had only been informed the previous night. As the audience booed, he expressed his disappointment, stating that it is not just the end of his show but also the end of The Late Show on CBS. He emphasized that he will not be replaced and that the show is simply going away.
Colbert thanked the viewers and the show’s 200-strong crew, acknowledging it as a fantastic job and expressing a desire to continue working with the “usual gang of idiots” for another 10 months. The announcement comes amidst CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, attempting to close a merger with Skydance, following the collapse of the deal last year.
Colbert is also known for his criticism of former US President Donald Trump, and coincidentally, Paramount recently settled a lawsuit filed by Trump against CBS News.
Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat who appeared as a guest on Thursday’s show, later raised concerns about potential political reasons behind the cancellation. He suggested that the public deserves to know if that was the case and deserves better.
George Cheeks, co-CEO of Paramount Global and president and CEO of CBS, along with Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, and David Stapf, president of CBS Studios, issued a joint statement. They expressed their pride in Stephen Colbert and the Late Show, stating that the cancellation is a purely financial decision amidst challenging circumstances in late-night television. The statement clarified that the decision is not related to the show’s performance, content, or any matters happening at Paramount.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/18/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-to-end-in-2026-as-cbs-cancels-show
