Late Night R.I.P.? CBS Pulls Plug on Colbert’s ‘Late Show’

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Last year, Jimmy Kimmel predicted the late-night TV format might have only 10 years left.

Today’s shocking announcement suggests that the timeframe could be cut in half. Maybe two-thirds.

CBS has decided to end “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” due to budgetary reasons, and plans to air fresh episodes until May 2026. After that, the timeslot won’t be filled by another show.

Stephen Colbert’s long-running show, ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ is set to conclude in May 2026 at the end of the season on the network. In a statement, they expressed that Stephen Colbert is irreplaceable and will retire the ‘Late Show’ franchise at that time. The network is proud to have had Stephen as part of their family and his show will be fondly remembered among the legends who graced late-night television.

For quite some time now, the earnings from Late Night TV shows have been experiencing a significant decline. In the previous year alone, “Late Night with Seth Meyers” had to let go of its in-house band due to financial difficulties. Similarly, Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show,” which has been underperforming, shifted from airing five nights a week to just four.

When “The Late Late Show” wrapped in 2023, CBS opted not to replace it with a similar talk show.

Among late-night talk shows, it’s Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” that’s experiencing significant expansion, and you can catch it every evening at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

Cancelling “The Late Show” may ignite speculation reminiscent of Trump’s conspiracies. Colbert had foreshadowed such an event earlier this week, declaring his intention to persevere even after CBS reached a settlement with Trump over an interview on “60 Minutes” that was edited deceptively.

Colbert has consistently been a significant satirical adversary for President Donald Trump. He’s been quite firm on the alleged Russian collusion issue and regularly incorporates criticisms of Trump in his broadcast.

The Late Show has been quite successful in its dominance of the late-night television scene over the past almost decade. While its viewership numbers may not be astronomical, it routinely outperforms Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Daily Show, and The Tonight Show.

Why not downsize the production? Move to three nights a week? Make tough but necessary budget cuts?

No.

The show is scheduled to conclude in the year 2026. If CBS struggles to balance their finances with the highest-rated late-night broadcast show, what implications could this have for other contenders?

Stay tuned.

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2025-07-18 03:03