Reactions continue to pour in regarding the shocking news that CBS cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It’s the latest decision from CBS that has left viewers feeling frustrated. Andy Cohen is in that boat. From one late-night guy to another, the Watch What Happens Live host is having a hard time wrapping his head around the news.
Andy Cohen thinks CBS should have handled things differently
Stephen announced last week that CBS cancelled The Late Show with the series going dark in May 2026. Before that, Paramount agreed to settle a $16 million lawsuit with the POTUS. Furthermore, Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigned back in April, expressing concerns about journalistic independence. With all of that in mind, Andy weighed in during the Monday, July 18 episode of SiriusXM’s Radio Andy Live.
“So, CBS’ whole thing is it was losing $40 million a year. Now, so suddenly this show is losing $40 million a year, and they want to, and they’re gonna cancel it,” Andy began, before giving his expert opinion on the matter.
According to Andy, whose career started at CBS, the network could have approached Stephen with strategies to cut costs for the show.
“I think it is possible that it’s losing money, and typically what would happen if a show is losing money that is also super important to the network … What they would probably do is say, ‘Listen, Stephen, your show is losing X amount of money a year. There’s two things we could do. We could cut the budget in half, maybe move out of the Ed Sullivan Theater, do the show in a small studio that we already own,’ because CBS has a lot of studio space.”
From cutting staff to reducing production days, Andy threw out a few strategies that CBS could have employed. It’s almost like he was speaking from firsthand experience.
“Cut down on staff. You have 200 people working here,” Andy said, simulating the conversation that should have happened behind the scenes.
“We needed to be 100 people or 60, and instead of you doing your show five days a week, we’re gonna do your show four days a week, and you’re gonna gonna pre-tape your Thursday show, so you’re gonna be in production three days a week. That’s a way right there to cut the budget at least in half,” Andy suggested.
Rather than trying to cut costs, CBS opted to pull the plug entirely. It’s a clear signal about the broadcaster’s priorities. However, Andy warned that it could be a sign of their downfall.
Andy concluded, “Instead [of cutting costs], they’re turning the lights out completely at 11:30, which says to me, it’s like CBS is just cooked. I mean, it’s just, it is cooked. They are saying, ‘We are done.’”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs on CBS weeknights at 11:35/10:35c until May 2026.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LATE SHOW CANCELLATION? DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH ANDY’S ANALYSIS?
