In a move that stunned viewers and insiders alike, CBS has announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will come to an end in May 2026, wrapping up a remarkable 33-year run. The decision, according to the network, is purely financial and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters.”
That may be hard to swallow for loyal fans of Stephen, who broke the news himself during Thursday’s taping. The announcement was met with groans and boos from the audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York—an audible grief that he acknowledged with trademark grace and a hint of melancholy. “This is not just the end of our show. It's the end of The Late Show on CBS,” he said. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.” He added, with evident sincerity, “It is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it.”
The timing is... interesting. The announcement comes two weeks after CBS's parent company, Paramount, settled a $16 million lawsuit with Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The network insists the two events are unrelated, but some—including Democratic Senator Adam Schiff—aren’t so sure. Adam, who had just taped an interview with Stephen before the news broke, questioned on X whether the cancellation was politically motivated. “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons,” he wrote, “the public deserves to know.”
Politics aside, Stephen has long been one of late night’s sharpest voices—especially when it comes to holding Trump’s rhetoric to the fire. Before inheriting The Late Show from David Letterman in 2015, he gained fame skewering conservative media on The Colbert Report. His switch to CBS marked a tonal shift, but not a political retreat.
The Late Show was born in 1993 out of a network feud: David Letterman, edged out of replacing Johnny Carson, left NBC and took his talent (and Top Ten lists) to CBS. Since then, the show has been a cultural mainstay. Come 2026, CBS will be without a late-night talk show for the first time in over three decades. For now, the stage remains lit—at least until next May. As for what Stephen Colbert will do next? He hasn’t said. But knowing him, it probably won’t involve quietly fading into the background.