Stephen Colbert Reveals Last Night as Host of ‘The Late Show’

Stephen Colbert revealed that the curtain will fall on “The Late Show” on Thursday, May 21, bringing an end to a CBS franchise that has outlined late-night tv for more than three many years.

The host made the announcement during a Monday taping of NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” set to air Tuesday, Jan. 27, placing a agency date on a farewell hanging over the present since CBS announced its cancellation last July.

“The Late Show,” which launched in 1993 when David Letterman departed NBC for CBS, will conclude after the 2025-26 broadcast season. Letterman’s 22-year tenure constructed the program right into a cultural establishment before Colbert assumed the desk in 2015.

CBS characterised the cancellation as “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” emphasizing it was unrelated to the present’s content — or the pending merger of the network’s dad or mum company, Paramount, with Skydance. The announcement got here days after Colbert criticized Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, calling it a “big fat bribe.”

When Colbert told his studio viewers about the cancellation last summer season, he confused the finality of CBS’ selection. “It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS,” he said. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

CBS’ determination displays the monetary disaster late night time faces as streaming providers siphon viewers from conventional broadcasts. Younger audiences now watch clips on-line instead of tuning in at 11:35 p.m., undercutting the promoting income that as soon as made these exhibits worthwhile.

Colbert has maintained his sharp political commentary since studying of the cancellation. The present received the Emmy for best speak collection in September, and Colbert will obtain the Writers Guild of America East’s Walter Bernstein Award next month.