CBS Cancels Late Show, With Stephen Colbert Signing Off Next Year — Watch His Announcement
Stephen Colbert is saying goodnight to late night.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end a decade-long run on CBS in May 2026, Colbert announced during Thursday's Late Show taping. Watch his announcement below.
The Late Show franchise, which started in 1993 with David Letterman, will be retired as well. "This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," CBS said in a statement. "It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." (Side note: CBS' parent company Paramount just agreed to pay President Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit Trump filed over a 60 Minutes interview with Trump's opponent Kamala Harris, with Trump accusing the venerable news program of deceptive editing.)
Colbert addressed the audience from the Late Show desk, telling them: "I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the Late Show in May." The audience, of course, loudly booed this news, and Colbert wryly replied, "Yeah, I share your feelings."
Colbert added that the entire Late Show franchise is ending as well: "I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away. 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." Colbert also thanked his loyal audience and his house band, "and I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here. We get to do this show for each other, all day, every day." He finished by saying, "It is a fantastic job. I wish someone else was getting it," before vowing to deliver a great show for the final 10 months: "It's gonna be fun. Y'all ready?"
Colbert debuted as Late Show host in September 2015, taking the baton from Letterman and building a network TV legacy of his own after appearing on The Daily Show and hosting The Colbert Report for Comedy Central.
It's a stunning announcement that reflects the tough times for traditional late-night TV: In March, CBS cancelled After Midnight, hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, after a two-season run following Colbert's Late Show. CBS touts Late Show as the #1 show in late night for the past nine seasons, but even that wasn't enough to keep it on the air.
"Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult," the network said in a statement. "Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas... With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers."