Stephen Colbert Isn’t Going ‘Away’ After Cancellation, Conan O’Brien Says

Conan O'Brien sees big things in Stephen Colbert's future, despite his talk show being cancelled. 

"Stephen is going to evolve and shine brighter than ever in a new format that he controls completely," O'Brien, 62, said during his acceptance speech into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. "There’s a lot of fear about the future of television, and rightfully so. The life we’ve all known for almost 80 years is undergoing seismic change."

He added, "This might just be my nature. I choose not to mourn what is lost, because I think in the most essential way, what we have is not changing at all."

According to the former talk show host, "if the stories are good, if the performances are honest and inspired, if the people making it are brave and of goodwill," audiences will engage.

"It’s all electrifying a new generation of viewers," he added of streamers. "Yes, late-night television, as we have known it since around 1950, is going to disappear. But those voices are not going anywhere. People like Stephen Colbert are too talented and too essential to go away."

Colbert, 61, revealed last month that CBS was pulling the plug on his long-running late-night talk show. 

“It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS," he told viewers. "I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away. And I do want to say ... that the folks at CBS have been great partners. 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."

The Late Show host confirmed that the iconic series, which first premiered with host David Letterman, will come to an end in May 2026.