During a recent interview, Conan O’Brien revealed that the realization about late-night shows being in trouble hit him after he witnessed the response to his episode of Sean Evans’ show, Hot Ones. He also touched upon topics surrounding the cancellation of late-night shows, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Moreover, he acknowledged that in the future, late-night shows might not continue and could transform into something different.
Conan O’Brien talks about future of late-night shows
In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Conan O’Brien revealed that he realized the future of late-night shows might be at risk after seeing the response his episode on Hot Ones with Sean Evans received. Hot Ones is a popular show where celebrities answer questions while eating chicken wings. O’Brien’s episode garnered over 15 million views, and that was the defining moment when he knew the show landscape was changing.
He said, “That was the moment the scales fell from my eyes. If a guy can do World Series numbers with overhead that looked, to me, to be about $600, and you have every big star lining up to do his show or Chicken Shop Date … that’s when I profoundly understood that late-night shows are in trouble.”
Revealing his thoughts on late-night shows potentially evaporating in the future, he explained, “I’m of the mind that yes, these shows are going away and will become something else.” O’Brien continued, “But I don’t like when other malign forces intervene, because they’re trying to curry favor. That pisses me off.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will come to a conclusion in May 2026, as announced by host Stephen Colbert last year. At the time, he did not cite any specific reason for the cancellation. However, Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, later revealed that the decision to end the show stemmed purely from financial issues and had nothing to do with its performance on the network or its content.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show was suspended temporarily after he commented on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. On September 23, after a brief hiatus, the show returned, following Kimmel and Disney executives’ “thoughtful conversations.”
Originally reported by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
