Stephen Colbert revealed that the curtain will fall on \u201cThe Late Show\u201d on Thursday, May 21, bringing an end to a CBS franchise that has defined late-night television for more than three decades.<\/p>\n
The host made the announcement during a Monday taping of NBC\u2019s \u201cLate Night With Seth Meyers\u201d set to air Tuesday, Jan. 27, putting a firm date on a farewell hanging over the show since CBS announced its cancellation last July.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe Late Show,\u201d which launched in 1993 when David Letterman departed NBC for CBS, will conclude after the 2025-26 broadcast season. Letterman\u2019s 22-year tenure built the program into a cultural institution before Colbert assumed the desk in 2015.<\/p>\n
CBS characterized the cancellation as \u201cpurely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,\u201d emphasizing it was unrelated to the show\u2019s content \u2014 or the pending merger of the network\u2019s parent company, Paramount, with Skydance. The announcement came days after Colbert criticized Paramount Global\u2019s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, calling it a \u201cbig fat bribe.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Colbert told his studio audience about the cancellation last summer, he stressed the finality of CBS\u2019 choice. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the end of our show, but it\u2019s the end of \u2018The Late Show\u2019 on CBS,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not being replaced. This is all just going away.\u201d<\/p>\n
CBS\u2019 decision reflects the financial crisis late night faces as streaming services siphon viewers from traditional broadcasts. Younger audiences now watch clips online instead of tuning in at 11:35 p.m., undercutting the advertising revenue that once made these shows profitable.<\/p>\n
Colbert has maintained his sharp political commentary since learning of the cancellation. The show won the Emmy for best talk series in September, and Colbert will receive the Writers Guild of America East\u2019s Walter Bernstein Award next month.<\/p>\n
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