Late night television host Stephen Colbert is opening up about the moment he learned CBS was ending The Late Show after more than a decade on air just after he took jabs at Trump
Stephen Colbert revealed the moment he knew his show was canceled
Stephen Colbert is sharing new details about the moment he found out The Late Show was coming to an end, and according to the longtime host, the news completely caught him off guard.
Colbert, 61, who took over CBS’ late-night franchise in 2015 after David Letterman’s retirement, revealed that his first reaction to hearing the show had been canceled was a simple eight words. The comedian and host recalled learning the news during a conversation with his manager, James “Babydoll” Dixon, who rarely visits him in person.
“James never visits in person, and they’re like, ‘James wants to talk to you,’” Colbert explained. “I’m like, ‘He’s here? In person? What’s going on?’ And he says, ‘This is going to be the last season.’” His revelation comes after Letterman branded CBS ‘lying weasels’ over their excuse for canceling The Late Show.
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Colbert said the announcement immediately stunned him. He said that he answered in eight words: “Really? Huh? Well, this comes as a surprise.”
According to Colbert, Dixon told him the network’s reasoning was financial. “And he goes, ‘I can imagine so. They said it’s not making any money,’” Colbert told The Hollywood Reporter.
David Letterman slammed CBS over cancelation excuse
Despite the shock, the late-night host said he understood the business side of the decision.
“I’m like, ‘OK. I mean, it’s their business,’” Colbert explained. “I’m a company man, and I understand that people are here to make the green stuff. We’re not here to do freeform polyrhythmic jazz poetry. We’re here to sell some Breathe Right strips, and I have no qualms about that.”
Colbert also made clear that he doesn’t hold resentment toward CBS, describing the network as supportive throughout his tenure. “And they’ve been great partners,” he said.
Still, Colbert admitted he struggled to understand why the cancellation happened so soon after he had signed a new deal with the network.
Stephen Colbert didn’t shy away from sharing his opinions despite the backlash(Image: CBS)
“But I went, ‘I don’t understand. It hasn’t been two years since I signed my last contract, and they were feverish to lock me down,’” he said. “It was the best negotiation we’ve ever had. I only do 160 shows now, all that kind of stuff.”
He added that Dixon even offered to let him review the financial reasoning behind the decision, though Colbert declined.
“Baby said, ‘They say they could show me the numbers if we want,’ but I’m not going to ask them to open books,” Colbert explained. “I’m not here to talk anybody into me.”
CBS previously said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision,” though the move raised questions at the time because it came during Paramount’s multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance, which required approval from the Trump administration.
CBS denied canceling Colbert for political reasons, despite calls from Trump for his removal(Image: Anadolu, Anadolu via Getty Images)
The decision also followed Paramount agreeing to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit tied to a 60 Minutes interview.
Since announcing the show’s ending last summer, Colbert has continued to openly criticize both Trump and his own network during his monologues. He has also joked publicly about reports claiming The Late Show was losing tens of millions of dollars annually.
Even with the late-night chapter ending, Colbert has been involved in co-writing a project connected to The Lord of the Rings film franchise, which he described as a longtime dream. He also hinted that he could eventually create another show. “Got to stay in front of the lens, baby,” he joked.
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