CBS cancels 'The Late Show,' Stephen Colbert to end program in May 2026
CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" will be ending in 2026, the network announced Thursday.
"'THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT' will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season," CBS said in a 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."
CBS said it was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," adding, "It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."
"I found out just last night, next year will be our last season," host Stephen Colbert told his studio audience in a video posted on Instagram. "The network will be ending ‘The Late Show’ in May."
"It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away," Colbert continued.
In the opening clip released by "The Late Show," Colbert's audience could be heard booing the announcement.
"I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners," Colbert said. "I'm so grateful to the Tiffany network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home. And of course, I'm grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night in here, out there, all around the world."
"The Late Show," which Colbert took over in 2015, leaned into liberal politics in the Trump era and had became a major platform for Democratic politicians. Last month, Colbert welcomed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani before the socialist hopeful clinched the Democratic nomination.
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There had been speculation about the future of the Paramount-owned late-night programs, which also includes "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, as its planned corporate merger with Skydance Media is expected to take place later this year.
Colbert had been outspoken with his criticism of Paramount settling President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the company over CBS' handling of the "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the run-up to the election. Paramount settled the lawsuit earlier this month.
There had been concerns within Paramount that not settling Trump's lawsuit would halt its Skydance merger, which needs the approval of the FCC.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Colbert's Thursday night guest, reacted on X, "If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better."