Stephen Colbert’s career in late-night is nearing its end. We’ve known for some time that The Late Show would go off the air at some point. The comedian took over the CBS program from David Letterman after his retirement in 2015.
Financial reasons are said to be the reason the network is pulling the plug on Stephen’s show, despite speculation that its performances, content, or other matters at Paramount played a part. Now we know exactly when the program will officially end.
The Late Show is coming to an end
A program that’s been a staple on CBS’s late-night lineup for decades is leaving us soon. LateNighter reports that the series’ final episode will air on Thursday, May 21. Stephen is scheduled to be a guest of NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday, where he will make that announcement.
The show’s cancellation came as a surprise to many. In September, The Late Show won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Talk Series. Donald Trump expressed his excitement when word came down that Stephen’s show was cancelled. That news came at a curious time, with Stephen criticizing CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a lawsuit with the President.
When news broke that the show was going off the air for good, Stephen assured people that he was not being replaced, but that the program was ending. The Late Late Show, which had previously followed The Late Show, ended its run on CBS in 2023. Stephen has previously said that it may have “saved his life.”
The Late Show franchise on CBS originally aired from the Ed Sullivan Theatre in Manhattan, and was created by David Letterman. He had left NBC after not getting to replace Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. The network chose Jay Leno instead.
Stephen is in his 11th season as host of the show.
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