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We\u2019re only a couple of weeks away from the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airing on the 2026 TV schedule<\/a>. To put it mildly, this is a topic that people have been fascinated with since the decision was made to cancel the longtime CBS talk show<\/a>. Stephen Colbert may have not fully processed his upcoming career change<\/a>, but he recalled the phone call he had with his boss, where he said he wasn\u2019t going to shy away from talking about it either.<\/p>\n Stephen Colbert has been as open as he can be about the impending end of his late-night show, including what he\u2019ll miss the most<\/a> and the funny texts he got from fellow hosts<\/a>. With that, he divulged the contents of his conversation with CBS\u2019 head of entertainment George Cheeks following the cancellation news. Colbert revealed to THR<\/a>:<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think George would mind if I characterized our conversation. It was later in the summer, and he called to express that he wished [it] had gone down a different way. I said, \u2018Me too.\u2019 And then I said, \u2018I\u2019m not over here grinding a knife, but we are going to make jokes about how this went down and about the $40 million and about CBS\u2019 apparent check-cutting spree to the president. That\u2019s the show I want to do for 10 more months because I like working for CBS and I\u2019m not going to change that relationship between now and the end if you allow that to happen.\u2019<\/p>\n Stephen Colbert was initially upset that George Cheeks reportedly told his manager that The Late Show was ending, but did not speak with Colbert directly until later in the summer. The host said that at that time, he made his intention known \u2014 he was going to address some people\u2019s opinion that the cancellation was politically motivated<\/a><\/p>\n For context, Colbert made critical comments about CBS\u2019 decision to settle a lawsuit with Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, and the cancellation came just days later. CBS has consistently blamed finances<\/a> for The Late Show getting the ax, citing an alleged loss of $40 million in a year \u2014 a number that fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has called \u201cbeyond nonsensical.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Colbert said the figure surprised him but he had no wishes to litigate it. As for his conversation with George Cheeks, he continued:<\/p>\n And he said, \u2018I promise you that\u2019s what will happen.\u2019 So that was it. And what\u2019s the use of being mad? All I want to do is go have fun for an audience that appreciates it, and that\u2019s what my goal has been for 10 months. When this is all over, I will probably have a different \u2014 or rather a fuller \u2014 perspective on all of this, but I don\u2019t really have time to be mad about anything right now.<\/p>\n Stephen Colbert has insisted he\u2019s too busy putting together The Late Show\u2019s final episodes to think about much of anything else. He\u2019s got a couple of things lined up afterward, including a Lord of the Rings script<\/a>, some \u201cmuch more important\u201d family events to attend<\/a>, and he\u2019s admittedly relieved to possibly take a break<\/a> from the news cycle.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not over yet, though. You can still catch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35 p.m. ET on weeknights through Thursday, May 21, on CBS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. 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