Stephen Colbert's 'The Late Show' to end in May 2026
NEW YORK
Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show", long a staple of late-night television, will come to an end in 2026, the comedian and network CBS said on July 17.
"Next year will be our last season," the host announced on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" to boos and shouts of disbelief. "The network will be ending the show in May 2026."
CBS called the cancellation "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," and said in a statement the move was "not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at [parent company] Paramount."
Paramount, CBS's parent company, reached a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump this month in a lawsuit the entertainment giant described as meritless.
The company is seeking to close its $8 billion merger with the entertainment company Skydance, which needs federal government approval.
Trump had sued Paramount for $20 billion, alleging that CBS News' "60 Minutes" program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor.
Colbert, an outspoken critic of Trump, described the settlement as "a big fat bribe" on his show this week.
He said the cancellation was not just the end of his show but the end of "The Late Show" franchise on CBS. "I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away," he said.
