CBS will end “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in May 2026.
Host Stephen Colbert announced shocking news to studio audiences at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on Thursday, July 17th. “I want to let you know what I found last night,” Colbert told the audience. “Next year will be our last season. The network will end the “Late Show” in May next year. ”
When the audience expressed their disappointment with a loud moan, Colbert said, “Yeah, I share your feelings.”
The 61-year-old host and comedian continued, “It’s not just the end of our show, but the end of CBS’s “Late Show,”” adding, “I’m not being exchanged. All this is going to disappear.”
The announcement comes two days after “The Late Show” was nominated for the Best Talk Series, along with “The Daily Show” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”.
Will Stephen Colbert be replaced as the host of “Late Show”?
A statement from Paramount Global Executives, including CEO George Cheeks, said Colbert will not be replaced as a host — the show will simply end.
“We believe Stephen Colbert is invaluable and will retire from the then “Late Show” franchise,” the statement said. “I’m proud that Stephen invited CBS to the house. He and the broadcast are remembered in the great Pantheon, who decorated the late-night television.”
Paramount Statement is called “a purely financial decision against the challenging late-night background. It has never been related to the performance of the show, the content, or any other issues happening at Paramount.”
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CBS parent company Paramount Global agreed to a controversial $16 million settlement with Donald Trump on July 1st over a honour-loss lawsuit in connection with the “60 Minutes” interview. The move was criticised as a financial concession to promote the studio’s pending sales to Skydance Media, which requires regulatory approval.
In response, Colbert denounced the contract on air on July 14th after summer vacation. Colbert called the payment “big fat bribes” in his monologue.
How long has Stephen Colbert held The Late Show?
Colbert, the former “Daily Show” correspondent and host of “Colbert Report,” took over on September 8, 2015, and has been hosting “Late Show” for nearly a decade.
Colbert replaced David Letterman, who had been in the host’s chair for nearly 22 years from August 1993 until May 20, 2015.
