Stephen Colbert's 'The Late Show' to end May 2026
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“The Late Show” began in the early 90s with David Letterman as the host.

NEW YORK — “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will no longer exist after May, according to an announcement made on social media Thursday. 

“Next year will be our last season. Network will be ending the late show in May,” Colbert said into the camera from behind his late night talk show host desk. 

He was met with boos from the live audience attending the taping of Thursday night’s show.

“I share your feelings,” Colbert said while laughing. “It’s not just the end of ‘The Late Show,’ but its the end of a late show on CBS. I’m not being replaced, this is all just going away.” 

Variety reports the decision was made due to finances. 

“’The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television,” said George Cheeks, Co-CEO Paramount Global and President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, President, CBS Studios in a statement to DEADLINE. 

The announcement came two days after Colbert spoke out against CBS Global settling with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” story.

“I am offended,” Colbert said in his monologue Monday night. “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”

He said the technical name in legal circles for the deal was “big fat bribe.”

Adam Schiff, who was Thursday night’s guest on the show, made a social media post after finding out the news. 

“If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” he wrote. 

Colbert continued in his statement to thank CBS for the time he has had on the show, the set, the band, the employees working on the show and the fans for watching. 

“I’ve had the pleasure and responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you for the last ten years and let me tell you, its a fantastic job, I wish someone else was getting it,” he said. “It’s a job I’m looking forward to doing with this gang of idiots for the next ten months. It’s gonna be fun, are y’all ready?”

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is in its 10th season and began nearly a decade ago, celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary in September. “The Late Show” began in the early 90s with David Letterman as the host.

The late night talk show brings on an “eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology and more,” according to CBS’ description. 

The show has won the Peabody Award and has been nominated for an Emmy. Its episodes are filmed in the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. 

The most recent ratings from Nielsen show Colbert as winning his timeslot, with about 2.417 million viewers across 41 new episodes. It also said his late night show was the only one to gain viewers so far this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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