CBS has announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will conclude in May 2026, marking the end of a long-running presence in late-night television. Colbert, who has hosted the program since 2015, informed his studio audience that the show will not be handed off to a new host—CBS is retiring the series entirely.
“I found out last night,” Colbert told the audience during a recent taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater. “This isn’t just the end of our show—it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS.”
CBS cited economic factors for the cancellation, emphasizing that the decision was not tied to viewership, content, or internal conflicts. Colbert’s program has consistently drawn strong ratings, regularly leading its time slot and earning recent nominations for both Emmy and Peabody awards.
However, the announcement arrived just days after Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a $16 million lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump. The legal dispute centered on a 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which Trump claimed had been unfairly edited during the 2024 campaign.
Colbert openly questioned the settlement during a monologue, referring to it as a payoff and suggesting it undermined trust in the company. The timing raised concerns from several Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren, who questioned whether the show’s end was influenced by political motives as Paramount seeks government approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
Trump, often the focus of Colbert’s satire, expressed satisfaction with the cancellation and speculated that other late-night hosts might face similar fates.
The Writers Guild of America has since called for an inquiry, expressing concern that creative expression may be at risk if political pressure influenced the network’s decision. The union requested that the New York State Attorney General investigate whether corporate leadership compromised editorial independence to gain regulatory approval.
Colbert succeeded David Letterman in 2015 and quickly made the show his own, bringing a political edge to interviews and comedy. His style, rooted in his earlier work on The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, earned a loyal following and made him one of late night’s most prominent voices.
Several entertainers and fellow hosts, including Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, expressed their support following the news. Fans have also launched petitions calling for CBS to reconsider its decision.
Late-night television, once a cornerstone of network programming, has struggled to adapt to digital habits. Viewers increasingly consume clips online, and networks have responded by scaling back. Despite these shifts, Colbert remained a consistent leader in the format.
Although saddened, Colbert expressed appreciation for his team and audience, pledging to finish out the remaining season with gratitude. “It’s been a fantastic job,” he said, “and I’m going to enjoy every minute we have left.”
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