Stephen Colbert announced the ending of his late-night talk show.
On July 17, during the CBSโ showโs taping, the host confirmed that โThe Late Show With Stephen Colbertโ will end in May 2026 at the end of the 2025-2026 season. The news was shared on social media, with Colbert sharing that heโs not being replaced, the show is just โgoing away.โ
โBefore we start the show, I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the โLate Showโ in May,โ Colbert said in the clip, as the audience booed. โAnd, yeah, I share your feelings. Itโs not just the end of our show, but itโs the end of โThe Late Showโ on CBS.โ
Adding, โIโm not being replaced, this is all just going away.โ
Colbert continued by saying that the people at CBS “have been great partners,” thanked the Tiffany network for the opportunity, and expressed his gratitude to the audience.
โAnd of course, Iโm grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, all around the world, Mr. Mrs. America and all the ships at sea. Iโm grateful to share the stage with this band, these artists over here every night,โ he said, adding that heโs โextraordinarily, deeply gratefulโ to everyone who works on the show.
โWe get to do this show for each other every day, all day, and Iโve had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years,โ he continued. โAnd let me tell you, it is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it, and itโs a job that Iโm looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months.โ
The comments section is filled with messages of shock and disappointment. Many applauded Colbert for his work on the show over the years and expressed their hope that he gets to share his opinions on another platform.
Colbert has hosted โThe Late Showโ since 2015, taking over creator David Letterman. The franchise first premiered in 1993.
In a statement shared following the news, George Cheeks, Co-CEO Paramount Global and President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment, and David Stapf, President, CBS Studios, called Colbert โirreplaceable.โ
โWe are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television,โ the statement reads in part, explaining, โThis is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the showโs performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.โ
They noted that their admiration and respect for Colbert and his team made โthis agonizing decision even more difficult.โ
Touching on Colbertโs many wins, including his No. 1 ratings at one point, they added, โThe accomplishments of โThe Late Show With Stephen Colbertโ 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.โ
About The Author
