Stephen Colbert’s Late Show may be over, but the argument surrounding why CBS canceled it has been considerably harder to kill. Ever since the network announced the decision last year, critics have questioned whether politics played a role, particularly because the cancellation came shortly after the beloved host blasted Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. CBS has maintained that ending the show was a financial decision.

Stephen Colbert has addressed those political theories before, saying his “side of the street is clean,” but somebody put the question to him in a slightly different way following The Late Show’s Emmy win. After the Emmy win (via Variety), reporters asked him about free speech in the wake of his show’s cancellation. His answer was pretty straightforward, saying:

That might sound surprising coming from the guy whose show was pulled from the 2026 TV schedule, amid months of accusations that politics played some part in the decision. Colbert, however, seems to be distinguishing losing a television program from the government actually preventing someone from speaking. He explained:

Plenty of disagreement remains over what happened behind the scenes at CBS. Some fans and industry figures have continued to argue the timing looked suspicious, while Paramount and CBS have stood by the financial explanation. The Late Show host himself has never claimed to know that political pressure killed his show. His larger point seems to be that whatever happened to The Late Show, he does not see himself as having been legally silenced.

The former host’s distinction makes a lot of sense, even if it does not make the future of late night feel particularly secure. Colbert’s optimism about his former colleagues comes at an interesting moment in late-night television history.

After The Late Show went away, both Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon saw ratings gains, which suggests audiences have not suddenly lost interest in watching someone sit behind a desk and make jokes about the day’s news. Kimmel’s show, in particular, has seen viewership climb even as the economics surrounding traditional late-night television continue to look rough. That is where things get a little uncomfortable.

ABC executive Dana Walden recently acknowledged uncertainty around the future of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, even as the show’s numbers have improved. Kimmel’s current contract runs through May 2027, and he has openly discussed the possibility that he may eventually be ready to walk away. Meanwhile, late-night advertising revenue has dropped dramatically from where it stood less than a decade ago. So the former Comedy Central staple can be right that late night remains “funny” and “vital” while the business model underneath it keeps wobbling.

Colbert’s old show went out on a pretty remarkable high, too. The Late Show got the last laugh, winning Outstanding Variety Series for its final season, along with several other Emmys, after wrapping its 11-year run in May. Which could explain why Colbert sounds less interested in litigating who or what killed his show than everyone else seems to be.

Stephen Colbert's The Late Show was canceled ahead the merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, marking the end of an era. But since then, Colbert has moved onto other endeavors, including an in-development Lord of the Rings movie. Now, however, it seems that Paramount Skydance's imminent merger with Warner Bros. Discovery might have an impact on that fantasy film as well. Per a recent update on the project, it hit a major speed bump, as questions loom about LOTR and its profitability, which allegedly hinge on another movie entirely.

What's Going On With Stephen Colbert's LOTR Movie?

Per a recent report from KnightEdgeMedia.Com, Colbert's Lord of the Rings project has allegedly hit major speed bumps in its development. As the merger nears finalization, there's reportedly fear that the franchise isn't as profitable as it once was. It's said that executives would sooner wait and see how The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt for Gollum performs in theaters first.

In short, there's supposedly no guarantee that Colbert's movie even happens until studio execs see the box office returns on a movie that won't release until the end of the 2027 movie schedule. That's a long time for a movie to sit in limbo, so it's easy to see why some may worry this project is dead, even if Warner Bros. has confirmed the movie is still in development.

Several Details About Stephen Colbert's Lord Of The Rings Are Known Right Now

This is a bummer update for fans of LOTR, some of whom were no doubt excited to see Colbert's take on the six uncovered chapters of the movie. His film would also mark a big-screen, live-action debut for beloved character Tom Bombadil, who was last featured in Rings of Power.

For now, though, there still seems to be hope that this movie will happen. The downside is that we may be waiting a long time to ever see it hit the big screen. An optimist might say we've already waited decades to see those unfilmed chapters come to life. What's a few more years?

As for questions about whether The Lord of the Rings is still profitable, those assumptions began to crop up after The War of the Rohirrim flopped in theaters in 2024. While critics praised the animated LOTR movie for how well it was made, it failed to capture the attention of the mainstream and went largely unnoticed.

Is that a fair movie to base LOTR's success on? Does this have anything to do with Stephen Colbert's past comments about his former employers at Paramount? We don't have the answers, but these are questions people will likely be asking. Meanwhile, I'll just be remaining optimistic in regard to Colbert's Lord of the Rings movie materializing, because I'd love to see his take on Middle-earth.

Stephen Colbert’s late night series may be over, but the fondness people had for The Late Show lives on. That’s true of his fans, of course, but even other people in the industry really respected what the CBS host was doing before the network axed The Late Show. In fact, late night writer Jon Rineman recently revealed the thing Colbert’s team did that gave them an edge in the game, an edge that helped them land that #1 slot.

Rineman worked on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for years, and during that time, he found out exactly how Colbert’s team was staying ahead of everyone else in terms of timely jokes. The writer was working on Fallon's show after Twitter really took off and people started using the social media network for timely jokes. Late night shows started getting beat at their own game, until Stephen Colbert reportedly found a solution.

Now, it's worth noting the same audience using social media is not always simultaneously the same audience consuming late night. Still, I see why a writer on one of these shows would prefer to have fresh jokes.

Rineman said in a longer profile with Late Nighter he brought a similar idea to The Tonight Show, but the execution would have been such chaos, no one really seemed enthusiastic about making the attempt.

It’s also probably worth pointing out that The Tonight Show has never been as political as The Late Show was. The Tonight Show actually crushed Colbert early on via a steady stream of viral segments: “Wheel of Musical Impressions,” “Box of Lies,” and “Classroom Instruments” rank among those. When President Donald Trump came into office in 2016, tastes shifted, and the ratings shifted too. More people started tuning in to the CBS show over its competitors.

Ultimately, what morphed out of the political landscape changing was late night itself changing. The network shows are still hitting the 2026 TV schedule, but they are also trying to compete on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, too. Fallon’s head writer Wayne Federman confirmed as much in his own comments about the landscape now.

He’s not the first person to say so, either. Kimmel talked about how “there are far more people watching late-night” than there’s ever been, but the monetary gains are being diluted thanks to many people consuming late night via social media platforms and not TV. CBS would say losing money is why The Late Show got axed, while Kimmel (and others online) have speculated the platform is being “poisoned” by political shenanigans and the FCC cracking down on free speech. What’s not in doubt is that it’s certainly a harder landscape and there’s less money to go around. But ABC is seemingly picking up where The Colbert Show left off; I'm just not sure if he's quite as on the money with those last minute monologue changes.

Stephen Colbert spent more than two decades behind a late-night desk, first on The Colbert Report and then The Late Show. So, when he returned to late night this week as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, I expected some nostalgia, a few jokes about suddenly having a lot more free time and maybe some reflection on the end of his CBS run. But I did not expect Captain America’s shield to become part of the handoff.

The CBS veteran made his first late-night appearance since The Late Show ended in May, sitting down with Jimmy Kimmel during the 2026 TV schedule, a night after his former show won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series. Near the end of the interview, Kimmel revealed that Colbert had quietly sent him a very special piece of his old set after CBS dismantled it. As the former Late Show Host explained:

The story got even better from there. According to the longtime television mainstay, then-Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada reached out after Captain America’s death with some important information concerning Steve Rogers’ last wishes. He continued:

The shield became one of those pieces of set dressing that longtime viewers probably stopped consciously noticing after a while, but it followed Colbert through two major chapters of his career. It hung on The Colbert Report and later moved with him to CBS when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert premiered in 2015.

Once The Late Show was over, though, the longtime host already knew where he wanted it to go. He added:

That is where this whole chat got me. Colbert could easily have kept one of the most recognizable objects from his television career. He could have taken it home, hung it in an office or tucked it away with decades of memorabilia. Instead, he gave it to another late-night host.

When Kimmel brought the shield onto the stage and asked whether he could hang it permanently inside the Jimmy Kimmel Live! studio, The former political satirist didn’t hesitate. “It’s your shield, man,” Colbert told him.

Kimmel seemed genuinely touched by the gesture and immediately started figuring out where the shield should live. Rather than disappearing into a backstage display case, he carried it across the studio and mounted it near the producers’ area, where he said he would be able to see it while delivering his monologue every night. You can watch the entire exchange, which was posted to the official Jimmy Kimmel Live! Instagram account, below.

The two hosts spent years as competitors, but they have also become increasingly public friends. During the writers’ strike, the two teamed with Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver for the Strike Force Five podcast. Kimmel publicly supported Colbert after CBS announced that The Late Show would end, while Colbert later backed Kimmel for the Emmy despite their shows competing in the same category.

Kimmel also found the appropriately grim late-night punchline, joking about leaving the shield there “permanently,” or at least for however long permanence exists in late-night television these days. Given everything that's happened in the format lately, and the President's continued jabs at the host and his series, the joke lands particularly hard.

Still, the shield gives the moment some real weight. From Comedy Central to CBS, Colbert carried it from one era of his career to another, and rather than letting it become a museum piece when his own show ended, he made sure it stayed part of late-night television. That’s a pretty great way to pass the torch. Or, in this case, the vibranium.

Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. / 10:35 p.m. Central on ABC and then streams for anyone with a Hulu subscription.

When Stephen Colbert first emerged from his post-Late Show life with a gray goatee, my mind immediately went to David Letterman. After all, Letterman famously left the same desk in 2015 and promptly grew enough facial hair to make a sasquatch jealous. Colbert’s version was far more restrained, but the resemblance to his predecessor’s retirement move was hard to miss. Turns out Colbert may have accidentally been preparing for a different 2026 TV schedule occasion. It seems the beard was a pretty good fit for an Emmys reunion.

At the 2026 Emmys, Jimmy Kimmel posted a photo with Colbert, Jon Stewart and John Oliver on Instagram and dubbed the gathering the “first annual meeting of the Emmys beard squad.” Sure enough, as you can see in the photo below, all four late-night veterans were sporting some degree of salt-and-pepper facial hair.

Look, some of these qualify as beards more generously than others. Kimmel has had his for years. Stewart’s gray scruff has become part of his current Daily Show look, while Oliver appears to have taken advantage of some recent time away from Last Week Tonight to skip a few dates with the razor.

Then there’s Colbert, whose new goatee makes him look like Guy Fieri after a semester at Oxford. Is he taking that flavor saver to Flavortown? Absolutely not. This is a gentleman’s goatee. It has reservations in Fulsome Municipality.

The former Late Show host has been sporting facial hair since leaving CBS in May. He even joked on the Emmys red carpet that it was actually AI, calling the thing a “beard-bot.” His wife, Evie, apparently is not a fan, so we may want to enjoy Colbert’s membership in this extremely specific club while it lasts. One glaring omission from this face-forrest gang? Jimmy Fallon.

Fallon joined Colbert, Kimmel, Oliver and Seth Meyers on the Strike Force Five podcast during the 2023 writers' strike, and he reunited with the gang during Colbert’s final stretch on The Late Show. But judging by his current clean-shaven face, the Tonight Show host does not meet the minimum facial-hair requirements for this particular face fungus fraternity. Sorry, Jimmy. Maybe next year.

This particular facial hair photo lands during a meaningful Emmys for Colbert. The Late Show ended its 11-season run in May, but the series had one final awards season.

It won Outstanding Variety Series at Monday night’s ceremony, adding to five awards the show had already picked up at the Creative Arts Emmys for categories including writing, directing and editing. Colbert and his former staff received a standing ovation when they took the stage.

The selfie was also a neat snapshot of just how interconnected this corner of late night has become. Colbert, Stewart and Oliver all share The Daily Show history, while Kimmel has spent years trading appearances, jokes and public support with the others. Four friends getting a picture together at the Emmys is hardly historic, but the matching facial hair makes it look suspiciously like somebody scheduled a meeting.

Letterman may still hold the championship belt for the most aggressive post-Late Show beard, but Colbert has apparently found himself a whole squad of guys sporting nose neighbors. Unfortunately, they don't hand out Emmys for lip sweaters. Still, as a fellow mustache appreciator, I’m calling the Brotherhood of Beards winners anyway.

“Tech mogul” isn’t a way someone would describe Stephen Colbert today, but it could be tomorrow. Though losing his hit show has been hard, he's not letting that slow him down. His latest venture is called Scripto, and it’s not a TV show or a movie. It's a cloud-based software program Colbert and his team designed for themselves to write scripts more efficiently, first at The Colbert Report, then later at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which ended its run on CBS run earlier this year. Like so many tech innovations, it grew out of frustration with their old software. Specifically an issue that culminated in The Report wasting $800 on a goat that wasn’t needed on set.

Scripto was first developed and designed by Colbert along with Report writer Rob Dubbin, who, as it happened, also knew how to code software. The writing team at the Comedy Central show was using another piece of software that they found several flaws with, most notably that some versions of scripts weren’t saved.

That eventually led to a situation where a bit on the show originally included a goat, but a revision wrote the goat out. Unfortunately, the changes weren’t saved, and on the day they were to film the bit, the rented goat was there even though it wasn’t needed. Now, it's leading him to his next chapter.

They Decided To Build Something Better

Back when The Colbert Report was still on, the host had had enough, and he set out to build something better for his team. Thus Scripto was born. The host paid for the development himself, charging Dubbin to write the software. The product worked so well that soon others in his orbit started asking about it. Now, according to THR, it is spreading fast. Naturally, his old buddies at The Daily Show are using it. So are the writers at Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. It’s not just the greater Daily Show universe, either. Both the US and UK productions of Saturday Night Live are using Scripto, as are awards shows like the Emmys (which will air next week on the 2026 TV schedule).

The software has been so well received that Colbert is now raising seed money to take it to the next level. He’s looking to raise $5 million, but in typical Colbert fashion, it’s more about the utility than the money that can be made. As he said to THR:

It helps that he and Scripto are getting ringing endorsements from the likes of Jon Stewart and John Oliver, with Oliver quipping to the outlet:

For fans of Colbert’s day job, have no fear; he’s not giving up entertainment. He’s currently co-writing The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, and he is itching to get back to being in a writer’s room, no doubt using Scripto. These days, at least he knows for certain he doesn't have to worry about a live goat showing up.

Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late night talk show this week after heading out for his yearly summer vacation back in June, with various celebs such as Anthony Anderson and Rosie O’Donnell filling in as guest hosts. While celebrating the show hitting the 4,000-episode mark, Kimmel made a point of calling out FCC chairman Brendan Carr to say “We’re still here.” One day later, the host announced that his impending interview with Texas political candidate wouldn’t be airing on TV, but rather streaming on YouTube.

If that situation sounds familiar at all, it’s because a very similar situation went down on The Late Show back in February, when Stephen Colbert revealed his interview with James Talarico would be pushed off to YouTube instead of airing on CBS, due to the equal time rule for partisan candidates that the FCC has for years exempted late night talk shows from. (The View is also dealing with relatively similar polarity shifts due to FCC pressures.)

On Wednesday night’s Live! episode, Kimmel shared that his planned interview with Talarico would not be available to watch on ABC, and that viewers would need to make the jump to YouTube to check it out. Here’s how he explained it:

Jimmy Kimmel then went on to point out that he had the current President on not just once during his first campaign, but twice. As he put it:

Instead of backing down or canceling the interview, Kimmel took a hint from his former late night frenemy Stephen Colbert and shifted it online. I doubt the Congress hopeful is all that upset about it, either. The hullaballoo that surrounded his Late Show appearance sparked a windfall, with somewhere around $2.5 million donated in the two days following the interview. If anything similar goes down in the aftermath of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, it could potentially only help his chances.

At the time, CBS threw the blame back at Colbert, saying he wasn't being forced to pull the democratic candidate's interview off the air, and that he personally chose to put the interview online instead of adhering to any suggestions for how to adhere to the equal-time rule. It's unclear if Kimmel had the same options laid out, but it's unlikely he'd have opted for anything else anyway.

The aforementioned Ted Cruz appeared on The View this week, which might make it seem like the daytime chat show was giving in to the FCC. However, Cruz has long been a free speech proponent, and has shared his views that the FCC shouldn't be in charge of censoring TV in such a way.

Find out what Jimmy Kimmel and James Talarico will be talking about when their interview goes up on Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s YouTube channel on the evening of Thursday, September 10.

Stephen Colbert knew The Late Show was ending long before he actually had to say goodbye. CBS announced the cancellation in July 2025, leaving the host and his staff with months of TV still to make before the final episode aired this past May. That sounds like a strange way to go to work every day. Apparently, the host tried to use that time to appreciate what was still sitting right in front of him before the show ended its milestone run.

Talking to People shortly before his 2026 TV schedule finale, the former CBS host reflected on the months between learning the show was canceled and actually leaving the Ed Sullivan Theater. As Colbert put it:

Colbert spent 11 seasons in that theater after succeeding David Letterman in 2015. By the time CBS announced the cancellation, The Late Show was still leading its late-night competition in the ratings. The network maintained that the show’s sudden and shocking cancellation was due to a financial considerations rather than one connected to its performance or longtime talk-show host's political commentary.

Reports suggest the Emmy-winning series had been losing the network millions in recent years. That explanation has remained disputed, however. Some analysts have argued Colbert’s outspoken criticism of CBS and Paramount, including his comments about the company’s $16 million settlement with U.S. President Donald Trump, may have played a role in the decision.

Despite what was happening behind the scenes, Colbert still had a show to make every night. For years, he used The Late Show to process elections, the pandemic, labor strikes and whatever other chaos happened to land before taping. Knowing that routine had an expiration date clearly changed how he looked at those final months. There was another wrinkle to the former Comedy Central host’s outlook before the finale, too. Colbert wondered whether CBS may have accidentally done him a favor.

Making a daily late-night show took an enormous amount out of him, and the comedy veteran acknowledged that ending it while he still had the energy to pursue other things might ultimately prove valuable. He compared producing The Late Show to taking a flaming toboggan down a mountain and trying not to hit a tree before 12:30 every night. That sounds exhausting even before you add monologue rewrites.

The former face of CBS late night did not have some elaborate retirement plan waiting behind the curtain. He talked about writing a Lord of the Rings project with his son, Peter, but otherwise said he needed to finish the show before figuring out what came next. We have since gotten a small look at his post-Late Show life, including increasingly noticeable facial hair, which is already giving me David Letterman retirement flashbacks.

Whatever comes next, though, I like that Colbert spent those final months noticing the small things that would disappear once the lights went out. Eleven seasons is plenty of time for an extraordinary job to start feeling pretty mundane but, apparently, the host never let his place in late-night television history go unappreciated.

As former late night stalwart Stephen Colbert follows in David Letterman’s bearded foodsteps, his ex-time slot is apparently having little trouble attracting audiences. Kicking off its CBS arrival back in late May 2026, media mogul Byron Allen’s comedian-fueled Comics Unleashed has been a dependable winner for the network. To the point where the Late Show’s replacement is now starting to beat out direct competitors like Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

The current late night landscape is a bit more dismal than it used to be, with The Tonight Show currently airing repeats during Jimmy Fallon's summer hiatus. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is still airing new episodes, but the host has been on his own summer vacation for weeks now, with guest hosts such as Rosie O’Donnell and Jelly Roll filling in. For those reasons or others, it looks like more younger viewers are choosing to click over to Comics Unleashed as the 2026 TV schedule goes forward.

According to LateNighter, Byron Allen's comedian-filled chat show Comics Unleashed can now celebrate reaching the #1 spot above Tonight Show and Kimmel Live! for the very first time in the key 18-49 demographic. It's not the most massive margin, but a margin still exists that puts it atop its competitors in a big way, despite it not following the traditional late-night format.

The ratings tide began to change on Monday, August 24, though Allen's first hour of programming didn't actually garner more overall viewers than shows on other networks during that same time slot. Here's how it broke down.

Given these are the only Nielsen stats currently available that lay out the latest late night numbers, it's unclear if Comics Unleashed's demo win is just a fluke or more of a growing norm as viewer habits continue to evolve beyond traditional TV scheduling.

All things considered, it's possible that Allen's intentional lack of political discussions make his shows easier to watch than late night monologues that are almost always centered on politics these days. Or maybe it's just viewers' growing habit of watching late night clips on YouTube and social media rather than live. Or maybe it's the fact that Allen also keeps episodes almost entirely non-topical in regards to news headlines, which keeps the discussions from feeling dated.

Because guess what? Comics Unleashed has also been airing repeat episodes during the summer break. So yeah, that was an older episode that beat out both Jimmys for the key demo.

When he took his shot at securing the late night CBS slot, Byron Allen confidently claimed his show isn't a Colbert replacement in a technical sense, considering it’s been around for longer than the Colbert-hosted version of Late Night existed. And it looks like his confidence is already paying off after just four months, and I can picture him bopping around in celebration the way Colbert did after his final episode.

Stephen Colbert has only been off The Late Show for a few months, and apparently the first order of post-late-night business is the same one David Letterman embraced after leaving the Ed Sullivan Theater: stop shaving. The good news is Colbert has not yet gone full mountain man.

The former Late Show host popped up in a video shared by the Television Critics Association on Instagram to accept the show’s 2026 TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Variety, Talk or Sketch. He was sporting a noticeably grayer goatee, giving us our first real glimpse at Post-Late Show for the long-time comedian. You can see for yourself in the video embedded below.

The Emmy-winning host used the acceptance speech to praise the staff that stuck with the show through its final season, which ended in May. He said he was proud of how focused everyone remained even though they knew they were “running straight into a brick wall at the end.” He closed with a pretty bittersweet little farewell to his old medium:

We miss you too, Stephen, but I’m sorry. I was also looking at the beard.

The Comedy Central alum was famously clean-shaven throughout most of his Late Show tenure, so the new facial hair immediately reminded me of his predecessor. After David Letterman retired from The Late Show in May 2015, he stopped shaving and gradually developed one of television’s most spectacular retirement beards. What began as some harmless scruff eventually became a giant white beard that made Letterman look vaguely like Santa Claus had decided to start running marathons.

Letterman knew exactly what he was doing, too. Months into retirement, he admitted his wife and son hated the beard and said other people seemed “off-put” by it, which only made him more determined to keep growing it. Colbert has a long way to go before reaching that level.

The veteran political satirist already had his own post-show beard once. When The Colbert Report ended in 2014, and he had several months before taking over The Late Show, he grew what he called the “Colbeard.” He eventually shaved it off in stages for a comedy video ahead of his CBS debut, including one truly cursed look he dubbed the “Half Wolverine.” So perhaps this is simply part of his process. Show ends, razor goes into storage.

This time, though, there is no new late-night desk waiting for him. CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show in 2025, and the Daily Show legend wrapped his run this past May after more than a decade behind Letterman’s old desk. The TCA also gave him its Career Achievement Award this year, recognizing a television career that spans The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and his CBS run. For now, Colbert’s facial hair is still relatively respectable, if maybe slightly shaggy.

But Letterman’s facial hair journey started somewhere too. Check back in six months. If Colbert is bald, wearing sunglasses and hiding half his face behind a giant white beard, we’ll know the transformation is complete.

Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen has been a big topic of conversation of late. The show’s been on the air since 2006, with some breaks during that time, but it’s only been over the last several months that significantly more eyeballs were directed at the show and its host, the titular Byron Allen.

The reason? Byron Allen is occupying the slot The Late Show owned until just a couple of months ago, and there’s been a large debate about CBS taking money from Allen for the show, marking a different TV model. Separately, there’s also been a debate about why Stephen Colbert’s show was canceled in the first place, and Trump’s distaste for The Late Show has often cropped up in that conversation.

In a heated conversation, NPR journalist Ailsa Chang kept asking Byron Allen if he was asked by CBS and Paramount to not engage in any political humor, to which Allen kept repeating “absolutely not.” Instead, he says it’s a bent he’s stuck with for many years before taking over the slot formerly occupied by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Per the late night personality, this has been the idea for what his series should be for years, not just since he took over The Late Show’s timeslot. He’s getting asked about politics, because some hedged the administration was the entity who wanted it canceled and CBS acquiesced. Stephen Colbert was actually asked about this political rumor before his exit.

As part of the conversation, Byron Allen also mentioned competing with Seth Meyers prior to the changeover and how statistically the numbers for Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen were statistically beating the show it used to compete with.

Allen’s said for a while he wanted to create Comics Unleashed for his comedian buddies twenty years ago because he didn’t feel at the time there was a good forum to get out diverse voices. In the time since, the show has had all kinds of comedians from different walks of life, backgrounds, you name it, come on the show. They’ve been taping the show for a long time, and he wants to “be clear” CBS is not giving them notes.

It has to be difficult to be the guy coming in to take over for a late night series with iconic status. It doesn’t help he’s the mastermind behind a model that will make CBS money even if it only does OK. Allen’s said he doesn’t want to “replace Colbert,” and I appreciate he wants to make the whole thing work longterm, though CBS has seen some viewers pivot away to the Jimmys after Colbert was done on the air.

But if you are expecting politics, you will not be getting it, despite having comedians from different backgrounds on the series. This is just Allen’s bent. It’s not like Jimmy Fallon is out there getting overly political (though I’d argue he’s dipping his toes in more lately). We all need to find our niche, and a lot of the hosts are looking to figure out their space after The Late Show ended. All of late night is feeling it.

Jimmy Kimmel was reportedly ready to retire when his contract ended in 2027. However, the last 12 months or so have reportedly lit a fire within the host as the tense undercurrent continues between the administration and late night, and the ABC host has landed himself squarely in the middle of the brouhaha. Between his suspension, his staunch championing of The Late Show before it wrapped and a whole slew of things going on politically, it’s been an absolutely insane year. Naturally, someone decided to ask Kimmel about it.

In a “lightning round” of questions, Kimmel was asked what he’ll remember most about the last 12 months. September of 2025 was when his suspension came down the pipeline, and that’s the moment the late night host highlighted when THR recently asked him about what he’ll “remember most” from this whirlwind year.

It’s typical for Kimmel to be both funny and very serious at the same time. The push and pull coming from within the late night sphere can not be understated, however. The late night host was forced to take a break from his ABC series in the fall of 2025, and the last twelve months have been a whirlwind. His parent network has been at continual odds with the FCC. Kimmel himself has been a voice defending late night, even calling CBS’ cancelation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a move that felt akin to late night “being poisoned.”

Meanwhile, however, despite the doom and gloom surrounding the TV genre, stuff is going pretty well for Jimmy Kimmel on the 2026 TV schedule. Live! got an Outstanding Variety Program nod when the 2026 Emmy nominations came down the pipeline.. He’s really enthusiastic about his other series Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Right now, his salary is still in the tens of millions range, so he’s bringing home the bacon.

Now, he’s currently in the middle of a long, scheduled break on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, so he should be rested up for the 2026-2027 schedule ahead. Meanwhile, Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish and others have been filling in for the late night host.

In short, things are going well, or as well as they can go in a landscape when advertising rates are down and President Donald Trump gleefully tweets about late night’s potential downfall. We’ll have to wait and see what 2027 brings to the late night landscape as a whole, but it sounds as if this one will always be a year to remember for Kimmel.

It’s been almost three months since The Late Show took its final bow on the 2026 TV schedule, but Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show got in one last laugh. The series has been nominated for Outstanding Variety Series at the 2026 Emmy Awards, following The Late Show’s first-ever Emmy win last year. Now, CBS is pushing for its second Emmy win, but Jimmy Kimmel’s hopes for support came in vain.

Despite the premature cancellation, CBS is going all in with the campaign to make sure The Late Show brings home one last Emmy. So, a For Your Consideration video was posted on The Late Show’s YouTube channel, and it featured a compilation of interview moments, including some of Colbert's interactions with his fellow late-night hosts. The video also touches on the final episodes of The Late Show, as it pushes for one last Emmy win.

Now, when The Late Show’s cancellation was announced in 2025, plenty of late-night hosts showed their support, including Jimmy Kimmel. Despite being nominated for the same award, Kimmel even campaigned for Colbert to win Outstanding Talk Series last year by putting up a billboard that read “I’m voting for Stephen.”

With all of that support going Colbert’s way last year, Kimmel had hoped The Late Show host would return the favor this year. So, when asked by THR if he’d be putting up another billboard for The Late Show’s Emmy nomination, Kimmel said he was "hoping this time they'd get one for us," in reference to Colbert putting up a billboard for Jimmy Kimmel Live. As of now, that hasn't happened. So, currently, the two shows are very much competing against each other and their competition.

Now, the TV Academy merged Scripted Variety Series and Variety Talk Series into Outstanding Variety Series this year. So, The Late Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! are up against The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Saturday Night Live. To be blunt, that's a tough competition. Plus, this will be the last year The Late Show is eligible for the Emmys, so it’s possible the team is merely focusing on their last chance to win.

While Colbert may not be campaigning for Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel Live! is doing well. Following The Late Show’s final episode, Jimmy Kimmel's show benefited most from the cancellation. In the first month without The Late Show, the ABC late-night series saw a 24% increase in total viewership in June compared to May. Plus, it's very obvious that all these hosts get along quite well and support one another's success, even if they don't always put up a billboard to make that clear.

With all that said, to see who wins this award, be sure to tune in to The 78^th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.

Stephen Colbert is a solid interviewer. He’s witty, candid, and can get people talking about topics ranging from politics to God and the universe. He also has a sentimental streak, as shown when both of his series ended, first on Comedy Central and then this year on CBS. Surprisingly, it was Bette Midler who spilled the tea.

The actress took to Instagram to show off the gift Colbert and co. had sent her after the conclusion of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. It was a message, “thank you for being part of the Joy Machine” along with a snow globe commemorating Colbert’s time at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. Take a look.

The globe features a look at the theater and area surrounding. Probably the greatest detail is it also features the sandwich shop Rupert Gee’s Hello Deli which was a fixture next door until it closed back in 2023. Did I mention Colbert is sentimental? The snow globe actually played a larger role in the series finale, too; it wasn’t just a keepsake to commemorate the occasion. After Paul McCartney and Stephen Colbert were sucked into some sort of weird time warp and cut the lights at the Ed Sullivan Theater, the whole building was sucked into a snow globe… the very same globe Colbert gave out to friends of the show.

If you were watching in the final weeks, you probably already know Midler played a key role in the final season, when she came out and performed a comedic version of “Wind Beneath My Wings.” Her version fittingly had Frodo jokes and more, in reference to Stephen Colbert’s next act, which will be writing an LOTR movie with his son (and Peter Jackson’s blessing.)

A lot of a-listers had emotional and viral moments on The Late Show during its final season. Emma Stone and Colbert had a moment when they discussed their next interview, then realized it wasn’t in the cards. Taylor Swift had trouble answering a Colbert question, and Colbert broke our hearts when he joked there wasn’t much time left. In short, there were a lot of moments similar to Midler’s in the final months.

This Isn’t Colbert’s First Rodeo With A Snow Globe

Stephen Colbert actually has a long history with snow globes. He’s a fan of St. Elsewhere, a TV series that really doesn't get talked about enough, and a show that uses a snow globe famously as a device to hint the entire story over six seasons may have actually just been something made up in the mind of one boy. That show ended in 1988. Several decades later, Stephen Colbert was the host of The Colbert Report. It was ending its famous run on Comedy Central, and he decided to nod to the series.

Similarly to The Late Show ending, Colbert was given time to wrap up, and he also gave out 200 snow globes to friends and crew on the show. For The Colbert Report, those snow globes featured The Colbert Report set.

Not only are snow globes beautiful and unique keepsakes, the implication that working together as a team on a show of such scale as The Colbert Report – and even more so The Late Show – is a beautiful dream is a take that will stick with me for a long time. It’s almost as lovely as the note Colbert’s wife posted that she found taped to his desk as they cleared it out. It read, “loyalty, respect, trust, honesty and love.’ It’s still very sad CBS cancelled The Late Show, but what a classy way to go out.

Late-night television is looking a little different these days. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert officially wrapped in May on the 2026 TV schedule following a surprising cancellation. Plus, because of that and the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live, there have been questions about the future of this kind of show. Now, Jimmy Fallon is sharing his thoughts on carrying on in the absence of The Late Show.

Like many late-night hosts, Fallon shared his support for Stephen Colbert following the cancellation of his CBS show. The Tonight Show host even brought his friend and colleague a parting gift when he was a guest on The Late Show ahead of the final episode. Now, since late-night is officially one show down, Fallon opened up to USA Today about moving forward without Colbert and how much people really need late-night right now:

It’s still hard to fathom late night without Colbert, but unfortunately, the show must go on, as they say. Additionally, it’s not just that Colbert is out, but CBS doesn’t even have a late-night series anymore. The Late Show was canceled altogether and replaced with Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, meaning viewers have one less network to turn to late at night when they want someone to talk to, as Fallon put it.

Earlier this year, Kimmel also shared some bleak thoughts on late-night TV’s future, revealing he didn’t know what things could look like a decade from now. Of course, the TV landscape is always changing, so you truly don’t know what will be different. However, he was still optimistic because of the Internet and other means of bringing comedy and satire to people.

Between that and Fallon's comments about these shows being needed, I have hope that these guys will fight to keep the format alive.

Even though late-night's future feels a bit foggy, the support among its hosts and fans is very clear. On top of Fallon's support, Jimmy Kimmel not only campaigned for Colbert’s Emmy, which ultimately turned into a success, but he paid tribute by going dark on the day The Late Show’s final episode aired. It was a sweet gesture, and really showed just how close the late-night hosts are, despite being on competing networks. Additionally, the Jimmys, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver all appeared on The Late Show before the end.

As for Colbert, he made sure to get one last laugh in after The Late Show went off the air. After scoring its first Emmy win last year and receiving a standing ovation, The Late Show was nominated for Outstanding Variety Series at this year’s Emmys. I wouldn’t be surprised if the support for Colbert continued, especially since this will be the last time The Late Show will be up for awards.

In the meantime, ABC and NBC's shows will continue to air, and hopefully they stick around, because I think Jimmy Fallon's point is valid. We need something to turn to when we need a pick-me-up, and that's exactly what these shows provide.

Less than three months after Stephen Colbert’s final Late Show episode on CBS, the comedian and former talk show host is still making headlines in regards to the network’s politicized staffing shifts both on-air and behind the scenes. Well I guess it’s not technically Colbert himself, but rather his daughter Madeleine Carlisle, who has abruptly ended her CBS News gig by resigning from the in-flux 60 Minutes crew.

The long-running and highly respected 60 Minutes is heading into what may be its most important year yet when it returns to the 2026 TV schedule, as it will be a true test of whether or not audiences will tune in and be accepting of all the changes that boss Bari Weiss has made. But the news program’s 59th season will arrive without Madeleine Carlisle’s efforts on display.

According to Status (via TV Insider), Carlisle submitted her resignation notice earlier this week after serving as an associate producer on 60 Minutes for the past four years, give or take. It wasn’t the first time she bid farewell to the news giant, either.

Carlisle first joined CBS News back in 2017 as an intern, but that gig didn’t last too long before she bowed out to take on reporting assignments for the magazines Time and The Atlantic. She made her return to the network in 2022, when she took on duties as an associate producer.

One of three children shared by Stephen Colbert and wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert, Madeleine uses the last name Carlisle for professional reasons. And she may not be the only behind-the-scenes staffer packing up and shipping out this week, as Status also reports that multiple other producers are looking into alternative options, which is an indication that further exits may be imminent.

Problems have plagued 60 Minutes for many months now, with head honcho Bari Weiss at the heart of it all. Scott Pelley's firing, after he claimed Weiss was "murdering" the news series, set off a wave of staffing changes that included the terminations of correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, as well as Tanya Simon, Draggan Mihailovich, and Matthew Polevoy, with other producers (and Anderson Cooper) making voluntary exits.

After The Late Show wrapped up and gave its host more time to devote to his Lord of the Rings follow-up project, Evelyn McGee-Colbert also stepped down as the President of the nonprofit organization Montclair Film, the namesake of the annual film festival. If the couple’s sons Peter and John also happen to quit or lose their jobs soon, that’ll make it a full house.

Colbert has been largely radio silent since The Late Show ended, occasionally posting about his dog’s birthday and the like, so I wouldn’t readily expect him to share anything about his daughter’s 60 Minutes exit. But I’ll still be looking out.

Ever since The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ended on the 2026 TV schedule, it’s been interesting to see how the other late-night shows’ ratings have changed. Specifically, Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings have improved since Colbert’s series ended. Now, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, who is also a friend and outspoken supporter of Colbert, has wryly reacted to his own ratings boost.

Since May, Kimmel’s ratings have been on the rise, and they’re the highest they’ve been in six years among the 18 to 49 demographic. Specifically, Jimmy Kimmel Live had a record-breaking month in June, as it averaged 3.15 million viewers. Without context about what happened one month earlier, that’s great news. With the knowledge that Colbert’s show, which was the highest-rated late-night show, ended in May, it’s not as fantastic. When asked about this during a conversation with Variety, Kimmel “slyly” said:

Considering this statement was described as sly, and the track record Kimmel has of supporting Colbert, this comment feels quite sarcastic. The late-night host was very opposed to the cancellation of The Late Show, and he even put up a billboard to support Colbert’s Emmy campaign over his own last year. So even though, yes, a bump in ratings is good, it seems he is considering the unfortunate reason they could be that way.

Plus, in the same report where Kimmel spoke about his “strong” ratings, he also said the door is open if Stephen Colbert wants to come and host Jimmy Kimmel Live. In fact, Kimmel said he asked the former host of The Late Show if he wanted to be a guest host on the ABC program this summer. So, all in all, it’s pretty obvious the two comedians are on great terms, and it would seem that the one still hosting a late-night show is being wry about his own increased ratings.

Across the full season, Kimmel was up 34% from last season, growing from 1.95 million to 2.62 million. That means he’s had his most-watched season of Jimmy Kimmel Live since his 2014-2015 season. So, on a more sincere note, Kimmel explained that these numbers show that people are still interested in late night, and he means all late night, not just his own show:

There’s been plenty of conversations about whether late-night is dying, and the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show certainly amplified them. Jimmy Kimmel was also suspended for a few days, which led to questions about the future of the format. However, as he said, there’s clearly still an interest in these programs.

So, while The Late Show came to an end, Jimmy Kimmel Live and others will carry on. To watch Kimmel’s show, specifically, be sure to tune in to ABC weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.

If you’ve been following the timeline of the final year Stephen Colbert spent on the air at CBS, you may remember the day he announced the show was being canceled. You may remember moments like the bittersweet time he and Emma Stone realized it was their last interview or the time Colbert’s wife shared the note he’d kept on his desk for years. Amidst all of this touching stuff, CBS was painting a financial portrait of The Late Show and how the money allegedly just didn’t work. But I didn’t realize the Eye Network had offered to let Colbert see the books.

That’s apparently what happened, however. Colbert had a meeting with James “Babydoll” Dixon, the talent manager behind himself and Jimmy Kimmel, among others. He said he should have known something was up because Dixon never, ever came into his office.

Dixon said there was an offer on the table from CBS to let the two men go over the financials, but Colbert declined. That was CBS’ business; his business was show business. Here’s what he told THR about passing on the opportunity before he was officially let go.

We’ve learned tidbits about how Stephen Colbert found out about The Late Show ending before. The late night host said he was having a bit of a break just before taping when the news came down the pipeline. Other reports have indicated Colbert was told the news on July 16th, 2025. The announcement was made on TV one day later on July 17th. His show ended 10 months later on May 21st, 2026.

CBS has stated the decision was “purely financial” and telling Colbert he could look at the books would seemingly square with that, though others have been skeptical. Jimmy Kimmel outright stated he feels “these are made up numbers.” It feels reasonably probable that if Jimmy Kimmel Live! were to be canceled, the man is going to want to look at the books.

It’s been two months since we watched Stephen Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show, and the comedian has largely been laying low during this time. Whether he’s been focusing on that Lord of the Rings script or just enjoying not being part of the national conversation anymore is unknown, but his Instagram account has remained stagnant since then. That is, until now.

Stephen Colbert’s late-night presence has been missed, if not by CBS, which is now getting beat by the Jimmys in the ratings, then definitely by his fans. I know I've missed his reactions to the Knicks’ NBA championship and other events recently. There was one big day, though, that Colbert couldn’t let pass without some public recognition, as he broke his social media silence with an adorable post.

It was his 7-year-old Boykin Spaniel Benny's happy birthday, and he just had to share a cute post. The pic showed the beautiful brown dog lying on a couch and looking into the camera.

I love how Stephen Colbert’s return to social media was personal, not political, and only time will tell if this was a true return or just a one-off post to celebrate his pup. Either way, it’s such a cute sentiment, and Benny definitely looks like a good boy who deserves his flowers. Hopefully, Colbert's social will be all dog posts from here on out.

Before the Benny birthday post, the most recent photo on Stephen Colbert’s Instagram showed The Late Show host in his final moments, waving to his last live audience, who was giving him a standing ovation.

Those who tuned in for that May 21 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert may remember that Benny made a pretty epic cameo. After spirited performances of “Jump Up” by Elvis Costello, Louis Cato, Jon Batiste and “Hello Goodbye” with Paul McCartney and The Great Big Joy Machine, McCartney and Stephen Colbert literally turned out the lights on the Ed Sullivan Theater.

The perspective changed to a street view, with the building morphing into a snowglobe playing The Late Show theme song. Benny then walks up to the item in the street and sniffs around the snowglobe before Stephen Colbert says from outside the frame, “Come on, Benny. Let’s go,” as you can see below:

The fact Benny was technically the last "person" you see on The Late Show’s final taping speaks to just how much the host treasures his pup, but I still doubt Benny was invited to mosh with Stephen Colbert at the wrap party.

We know that in the days that followed, the comedian took some time for family events that he said were “much more important” than the end of his show. He attended his brother’s wedding in Washington, D.C., that weekend before watching his son graduate from college the following Monday.

Stephen Colbert may not be on our TV screens every night anymore, but it’s pretty clear that he’s got his family and his dog by his side for whatever comes next. Hopefully we won’t have to wait until Benny turns 8 to hear from the former Late Show host again.

It’s been nearly two months since The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was removed from the 2026 TV schedule, and this time has allegedly been hard on Colbert, not to mention his fans. Late-night viewers have had to look elsewhere for celebrity interviews and humorous commentary on current events, and the ratings seem to tell a pretty clear story about where those people went. June’s numbers are here, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! is boasting some of the show’s highest numbers in its 23-year history.

The final episode of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show aired on May 21, and both Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon saw a ratings increase in the aftermath. Now, with a full month of Colbert-free Nielsen data to look at (per TV Insider), ABC has come out on top. Jimmy Kimmel Live! reportedly averaged 3.15 million total viewers in June — 505,000 of those in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

That’s a 24 percent increase in total viewership and a huge 112 percent jump in the demo compared to May’s numbers. In fact, it was Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s best monthly average since it premiered in 2003. Year over year, the late-night ABC show was up 66 percent in total viewers and 69 percent in viewers ages 18-49.

By comparison, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon averaged 1.47 million viewers in June, which was a 4 percent increase from May, but without its NBA Playoff lead-ins from that month, demo viewers fell 19 percent to an average of 195,000.

The cancellation of CBS’ The Late Show is almost certainly the primary reason for the boost to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, especially with Kimmel forming such a bromance with Stephen Colbert. However, Kimmel also benefited from the NBA Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final as lead-ins. On June 3, 5, 8 and 10, Jimmy Kimmel Live! saw more than 700,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo, which was the most since Kimmel returned from his suspension last September.

Also, CBS’ replacement for The Late Show — Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed — has failed to fill Stephen Colbert’s shoes, numbers-wise, averaging just 807,000 total viewers in June (92,000 in the key demo).

An Interesting Twist In Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s Numbers

One of the more interesting facts about the ratings boom that Jimmy Kimmel Live! saw in June is that the host himself wasn’t there for nearly half of the month. Jimmy Kimmel is taking a (voluntary) break for a couple of months, and after the June 18 episode, reruns populated the timeslot through the Fourth of July.

Guest hosts like Tiffany Haddish have ensured that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has definitely not chilled out in the absence of its eponymous leader, and I’m intrigued about how Jimmy Kimmel’s numbers hold up after a full month without him.

Certainly Jimmy Kimmel would never say that The Late Show’s cancellation was a good thing, but in this TV landscape where the major networks are duking it out in the ratings, I’m sure the higher-ups at ABC appreciate Colbert’s fans finding a place to land.

You can catch Jimmy Kimmel Live! (with guest hosts for now) at 11:35 p.m. ET weekdays on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert may have ended a few months ago, but it's still making an impact on the 2026 TV schedule. That’s because as the 2026 Emmy nominees were named, Colbert’s program got one last laugh as it scored an Outstanding Variety Series nomination.

Coming off its first Emmy win last year, Colbert’s show was nominated this year alongside The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and Saturday Night Live. Notably, this year, these shows are recognized under the Outstanding Variety Series category, as the Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series categories were merged into one.

Last year, Colbert’s program won Outstanding Talk Series following news breaking about The Late Show’s cancellation. There were still months of episodes left at the time, and the series came to a close in the middle of 2026, making it eligible for this year’s Emmys.

Now, overall, the competition in this category is strong and fascinating. Last Week Tonight has won ten Emmys. It has won three times in Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and seven times in Outstanding Variety Talk Series. In 2023, it moved from Talk to Scripted series, and after that happened, The Daily Show won Talk Series twice, and The Late Show took home the trophy last year.

This year, all those shows will compete for the same trophy, and the other competition is Jimmy Kimmel Live! And Saturday Night Live, both of which are beloved programs that have good reasons to win too.

Notably, more than one show could take home gold. When this new category emerged, the Television Academy reclassified it as an area award. That means voters don’t select one winner; instead, they answer the question “Does this nominee merit an Emmy?” Any nominee that reaches a 90% “yes” threshold can win, per Deadline.

Even if multiple shows win, I still think Colbert and The Late Show are likely a frontrunner. Considering how his show ended for good this year, I’d guess that many would want to reward the program for its run and give it one last celebration.

Plus, there’s a lot of love for Stephen Colbert. Last year, after his show got canceled and the 2025 Emmy nominees were announced, Jimmy Kimmel actually campaigned for his competitor instead of his own show. He literally put up a billboard in support of The Late Show.

While I don’t know if that kind of thing will happen again, I would assume all the nominated programs will continue to support each other. I mean, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver and Stephen Colbert are pals, and they all appeared on The Late Show in the episodes before it ended this spring.

So, it will be interesting to see who wins this year. However, no matter what, the nomination alone gives Stephen Colbert one last laugh after CBS canceled his show. Yep, he’ll get to celebrate The Late Show one more time months after it came to a close, and I think that’s very deserved.

Now, to see if Stephen Colbert and The Late Show win, you can tune in to the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.

David Letterman performed his final monologue on The Late Show on May 20th, 2015. Eleven years (and one day) later, Stephen Colbert was in the same position, walking onto the stage to have his final say on May 21st, 2026. You’d think that’s about all the two would have in common given The Late Show was being cancelled when Colbert said goodbye, but it turns out that’s not true.

In fact, one thing that really struck me as The Late Show was wrapping was something Stephen Colbert said about the show kicking him and the staff out immediately. He said essentially they were “fired” and he had to go into the office to clear out his stuff nearly immediately the following week.

His comments were so visceral they stuck with me, and I was surprised to come across similar statements from Letterman, who noted CBS did nearly the same thing to him when he left the show.

Unlike Colbert, it was Letterman’s choice to retire from late night. Still, when asked by the NY Times what his “favorite memory” from the CBS series was, he said they need to "talk to someone else” and he could only muster this negative final memory about the show.

It’s clear elsewhere in the interview that Letterman was unhappy with how things shook out with The Late Show. Despite a favorable opinion of Colbert's successor, he’s compared the show being taken over by Byron Allen to an “adult bookstore” coming into your childhood hangout space. He’s also seemingly not bullish about where late night will be going in the very near future, which is upsetting to hear.

He’s not the only one. CBS has taken a lot of flak from individuals like Jimmy Kimmel, who has said he feels late night is “being poisoned.” It’s been clear for years the TV landscape is changing, but for a long time, there were still dollars to go around, even when social media became a prominent place to consume late night clips. As every month goes on, that’s less and less true. CBS has said $40 million in losses is what actually led to the network's changing of the guard.

We’ll have to wait and see if anyone else is clearing out on an office in the next year or so. If Trump had his way, Seth Meyers and more would also get cancelled.

I have spent a weird amount of time wondering what happens to those massive TV signs after a talk program like Stephen Colbert's The Late Show ends. Maybe they get boxed up in some CBS warehouse or disappear into a private collection. Maybe they end up watching over somebody’s basement bar while a guy named Todd explains, for the eighth time, how he “almost went into comedy.” Thankfully, Colbert’s old sign got a much better ending after Colbert’s show was canceled and ended its run amid the 2026 TV schedule.

WeHo Bistro in West Hollywood revealed on Instagram that it acquired the Late Show sign after it was auctioned to benefit World Central Kitchen, and the restaurant plans to make it available for fans to see. You can check out the post below.

This development feels oddly comforting after the messy conversation around The Late Show ending. David Letterman had a very Letterman response to Colbert’s show being axed, comparing the feeling to driving past your old neighborhood and realizing your former home had become an adult bookstore. It was not the analogy I expected, but it has been lodged in my brain ever since.

That is why the sign’s second life feels so right to me. The end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert still feels strange, especially because Colbert followed Letterman in a time slot that carried decades of late-night history. CBS has said the decision was financial, though plenty of people, including other late-night hosts, have questioned whether politics played a role. Colbert himself has said his “side of the street is clean,” and Letterman made it clear he thought the host got a raw deal.

But, while the business side of TV can feel as cold as a walk-in freezer, this piece of the show’s history is getting a more public afterlife. WeHo Bistro wrote in its caption:

That is the part I love. A giant sign is technically just branding, but this one carries a little more weight now. For years, it hung over a show that helped define how many viewers processed politics, pop culture and the daily circus of American life. It was part of Colbert’s nightly ritual, right there with the monologue, the desk and the guests who wandered in to promote their upcoming projects.

As the restaurant also explained, it wanted the sign in the first place. They continued:

That is a sweet idea, especially compared with the alternatives. Honestly, there is something depressing about imagining the sign hidden away, where only a few people could see it. Or, worst yet, if it had been destroyed after the show aired its final episode. So it's fitting headed for a very public home in West Hollywood, where fans can stop by, take photos and remember a show that meant something to them.

All of that aside, Colbert moved through the show’s final stretch with his usual mix of sincerity and bite and, now, he is already heading into a very different kind of storytelling. The late-night staple is set to write a Lord of the Rings spinoff, which is exactly the kind of unexpected next chapter I cannot wait to see play out. And, with the iconic Late Show sign relocating somewhere it can still draw a crowd, I’m just as curious to see where the host lands next.

That may not fix the disappointment around the show ending, but it does give fans a tangible piece of that era to visit. After all the arguments about CBS, late-night money and what should have happened, the sign gets to keep doing the one thing it was built to do: glow where people can see it.

David Letterman may need no introduction, but it’s rare you’ll catch him in a room with a traditional outlet doing a traditional interview these days. The former late night host and current Netflix host did speak out around the time of Stephen Colbert’s big exit from CBS, and with good reason: Both men were tied to the Eye Network for years before breaking free to do new projects. So, I get why there would be curiosity around what Letterman thinks. Yet, I did not see his “adult bookstore” reference coming.

Here’s what happened. Not only did the New York Times snag an interview with the former host, they also caught him in time to talk about his feelings about Colbert’s show getting axed on the 2026 TV schedule. He didn’t hold back, which is where the adult bookstore analogy came in.

Now, that he put this analogy out into the universe, I can’t unsee it. I know exactly how he’s feeling. There was once something great and something familiar in this slot and now it’s been ceded to something that’s unexpected. In fact, Letterman also told the news outlet his first feelings were “disbelief.” Afterward, he felt like it had been a “botched holdup.” All of these visuals really paint a negative picture of how he felt CBS handled the situation as a whole.

As the former host of The Late Show with David Letterman, he knows more about the inner workings of late night, the network and what happened behind the scenes than most.

David Letterman Does Not Blame Byron Allen

Of course, David Letterman also was quick to point out he’s not mad at Byron Allen, the man at the head of the new series that took over The Late Show’s timeslot, Comics Unleashed. He and Allen have palled around before, and he’s not opposed to Byron coming in and making his mark.

[Editor Note: As Letterman himself noted, the "Winslow Twins" or the "Ellison Twins" are what Letterman likes to call the one son of Larry Ellison, David. That part is a bit.]

However, he definitely still feels Stephen Colbert got a raw deal. The Eye Network has claimed its choice to cancel The Late Show was all financial, but it’s not just Letterman who is skeptical. Fellow late night host Jimmy Kimmel also spoke out about how the choice may have been more related to politics than the money piece. Colbert himself famously said "my side of the street is clean" when it came to any political allegations.

Meanwhile, David Letterman himself had a somewhat tumultuous run on late night, eventually signing on with NBC as a potential successor for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Then, executives at the time famously chose Leno instead. Letterman had a long and storied history on CBS, anyway, and retired of his own accord in 2015. (Other famous hosts like Conan O'Brien and Kimmel also spoke out about The Late Show at that time.)

It ended on his own terms, but Letterman still has a bit of a contrarian in him. If someone is calling out the network he formerly worked at, he'll lead the charge.

Just don't ask him to work that "tough" late night grind again.

There’s been an ongoing chorus over the last several months after CBS announced it had canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the move was made for political reasons. Things came to a head to the point where the man himself commented on whether or not politics were involved, noting his “side of the street" was "clean.” This obviously didn’t quiet the noise. Now, one longtime reporter shares his take on what he really thinks is happening.

But First, Some CBS And Trump Administration Backstory

Critics of the administration have alleged two things in relation to the cancelation of The Late Show. The first is the way CBS settled a lawsuit for $16 million involving Kamala Harris that paved the way for the Paramount/Skydance merger. Colbert criticized the move on his show, and it was canceled shortly thereafter. Secondly, Trump has made his dislike for late night no secret. Jimmy Kimmel has taken flak. Seth Meyers has taken flak. And Trump even shared an AI video of himself kicking Colbert into a big green dumpster.

This video is still up and available for public consumption on the X(Twitter) profile of the President of the United States.

At the time of this writing, the video has been viewed 100.8 million times.

It Was This Video That Prompted One Late Night Reporter To Speak Out

It was this viral moment that one longtime late night reporter feels is evidence Trump was involved in the ousting of Stephen Colbert at CBS. During a segment on MSN, NYT reporter Bill Carter opened up about the video and why he feels it is “not a good development for the country.”

He went on to talk about CBS as a network in general, noting he feels the network should never have capitulated when it came to the aforementioned interview with Kamala Harris, which the Trump administration had alleged deceptive editing over. A lawsuit ensued, and while CBS issued no apology, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle. The money will allegedly go toward Trump's Presidential Library.

Colbert had commented on this suit on the air, and he said later he was told via phone call he'd been axed. He'd been taking a nap before his show hit the airwaves when the call came in from his agent with the news. CBS CEO George Cheeks only called him later.

Meanwhile, CBS has increasingly taken flak for the way 60 Minutes and other news programming has been handled under Bari Weiss. Scott Pelley has specifically been vocal about "political bias" and the newcomer changing the integrity of the news at the network. Former CBS News Senior Vice President Betsy West went so far as to claim, "Everything she's touched has turned to shit."Amidst firings, Anderson Cooper also stepped down. (Though that was allegedly for personal reasons.)

The Late Show has now ended, but CBS is still in the news and not just producing the news on a regular basis. We'll keep you posted as the summer wears on.

There’s been a lot of hoopla surrounding the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, whose cancellation was announced last July, nearly a year before the host was sent moshing into the night last month following his final episode. Unfortunately, that’s not the only big talk show cancellation hitting the 2026 TV calendar, and while we’ve been paying so much attention to Stephen Colbert and the CBS of it all, The Kelly Clarkson Show has seemingly already taped its final episode.

Unlike The Late Show, which aired the same day it taped, The Kelly Clarkson Show records its episodes months in advance, so we’ve still got a while before we actually get to see the final episode on TV. Still, June 11 was reportedly the final day of physical production, as revealed by producer Bryce Mcleay, who posted a lengthy and emotional message on Instagram to commemorate the end, writing in part:

There was some confusion about when the final tape day was, as fans tried to get tickets to be in one of Kelly Clarkson’s final studio audiences. According to a discussion on Reddit, it appears the final episode with its host was taped on June 5, and guest hosts continued to film The Kelly Clarkson Show’s final episodes until June 11 (I'm assuming those guest-led episodes will still air before Clarkson's finale, despite being taped later).

According to fans and the ticket site 1iota, Joel McHale was scheduled for an interview on the morning of June 11, with Mario and Courtney Lopez serving as guest hosts for a taping that afternoon.

Other social media posts seemed to confirm that production on the popular daytime talk show ceased over a week ago, as stage manager Brendan Higgins reflected on how “badass” it’s been to be a part of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Longtime contributors Emily Kaufman (aka The Travel Mom) and lifestyle expert Lawrence Zarian also seem to have made their final appearances, each posting their own memories.

The Kelly Clarkson Show is coming to an end after seven seasons and multiple Daytime Emmy Awards. Kelly Clarkson announced the news about a year after the host missed several tapings without explanation and rumors that she wanted to leave TV. Her absences were explained in August 2025, when her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock died after a long, private battle with cancer.

However, the rumors about Kelly Clarkson wanting to end the show persisted, and sure enough, the host confirmed that she had to step away from the talk show’s grueling schedule in order to be there for her two young kids who had just lost their father.

The Kelly Clarkson Show’s final tape day may have passed us by, but the big emotional goodbyes are yet to come when the finale airs later this year, likely in September, though no official date has yet been announced. Until then, check your local listings to see when the final season’s episodes air in your area.

I’ve been writing a lot about late night in recent months, what with Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers earning Trump’s ire and The Late Show getting unceremoniously canceled by CBS. However, one thing that came up when I was contemplating Stephen Colbert’s newly open schedule recently had to do with what the hours on late night TV actually entail. Thankfully, Seth Meyers has answered that question for us.

My query started because I wondered what Colbert was doing during his final days on set. Anyone who pays attention to the late night scene should already know that shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! are a bit of a misnomer. Late night shows are taped, not live, and while they have backgrounds that give the feeling it is evening, they are worked on and taped hours earlier than they appear on our TVs. It’s a bit of bts magic that helps set the scene.

So we know the two Jimmys, Colbert, Seth Meyers and other hosts across the years work during the day, but they don’t always observe 9-5 hours. In fact, Meyers actually illuminated his late night schedule for viewers once, and it does sound like a bit of a grind, albeit a well-paying one.

Running Down How Late Night's Team Works Each Episode

At 8:30 a.m., Seth Meyers shows up at his office to start the day. That’s not as early as some, but it’s certainly a bit earlier than his former SNL cast members are waltzing into 30 Rock for their 9 a.m. pitch meetings on Mondays. By 11 scripts have been cemented and Meyers’ staff heads into his office for walk throughs on certain bits; in the Washington Post rundown of this timeline, they were working on a “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” segment.

They keep rolling through noon and 2 p.m., and then finally the late night hosts steps up onto the stage for a quick run through with the test audience. The run through at Rockefeller Plaza commences at 4:15 p.m. Jokes are tried out, new jokes are sometimes written on the fly, and Meyers’ team takes a gauge of the temperature of the room after he runs through this initial version of his monologue.

By 5 p.m. the official cue cards are put together for Late Night. Seth Meyers employs Wally Feresten and his cue card team to help out with the show. Wally’s been doing SNL for 27 years and has the whole cue card thing down to a science. If you are wondering why Meyers is still using cue cards, there is a reason.

One big pro, though, to doing Meyers’ show is that SNL really is live. It’s gonna stop and start whether or not the cards are ready or need to be changed on the fly. Late Night’s a little looser and can stop and go, per Feresten.

It’s 6:15 when curtain call happens and the former SNL star is greeting his guests. Taping ends around 7:30 p.m. (remember some adjustments are able to be made for changes or emergencies). Presumably it’s after that when Seth Meyers goes home.

Sometimes, however, that’s not true of his staff, who must respond to breaking news, and must change jokes and segments for the next day’s show on the fly. In the WP article, Meyers’ writers Sal Gentile and Amber Ruffin, for example, kept working after taping, one at home and one in the writer’s room at 30 Rock.

To be clear, these shows are producing at volume. They usually break for a bit in the summer, on holidays, and a few other times over the year, but on average the 2026 TV schedule had late night shows producing between 150-200 episodes a season over the course of around 40 out of 52 weeks. So, it's certainly a long schedule, there's no question about it, and it's no wonder this was maybe not Colbert's "dream" job when he hesitantly said yes to it.

In the U.K., talk shows like The Graham Norton Show only air once a week. In the U.S., the Late Night writers are grinding it out like this five days a week, and they are responding to whatever is going on in the world in real time. It’s a lot, and while I can’t confirm Late Night with Seth Meyers operates in exactly the same way Stephen Colbert’s show did, the point is, it’s hard work for the large crew of individuals that bring us the tapings over and over again.

There’s been a considerable amount of excitement since the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Finals and brought home their first championship title since 1973. Not only have fans been expressing their elation, but celebrity fans as well. Timothée Chalamet has been living it up, and Jennifer Lopez has been pumped as well. Given all this positive energy around the Big Apple, I’m sad The Late Show isn’t still on so Stephen Colbert can get in on the fun. But, in the late-night realm, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon have been holding it down with that.

Over a year ago, The Late Show was formally canceled by CBS, which cited financial reasons for pulling the plug on the series. The final episode aired on May 21, with Colbert officially signing off after 11 seasons. In hindsight, it's a somewhat cruel irony that the New York-based talk show would end shortly before the Knicks hoisted that Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Considering Colbert’s own sports fandom and athletics-centric segments he’s had, I think he very well would’ve found a way to hype up the Knicks’ win.

I truly wish Colbert would’ve had the opportunity to honor the beloved Knickerbockers in his own unique way, but there’s definitely a silver lining in that his peers haven’t dropped the ball (no pun intended). Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon hyped up the Knicks throughout their playoff run and even attended games. Before the team’s series with the San Antonio Spurs ended, the topic even prompted Fallon to make some Trump jokes. More recently, though, Fallon welcomed the entire team to the show, and it was fantastic:

Seeing so many audience members sporting Knicks gear is great, but the icing on the cake is the presence of filmmaker Spike Lee, a New York native who’s long rooted for the NBA team. Fallon and co. choosing to invite the whole team and coach Mike Brown instead of just a handful of players is also particularly admirable. Even as a Boston Celtics fan, I can more than admit these guys all deserve their time in the sun, and they’ve certainly been getting it.

With that thought in mind, Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s titular host celebrated the Knicks’ victory and poked fun at some of the chaos that ensued in N.Y. after it happened. Kimmel, who lived in Brooklyn as a kid, shared footage of people in the city getting a bit overzealous with public property. Not only that, but the quippy host also shared a video from a tourist, whose first day in the United States coincided with the Game 5 win. Check it all out in the Instagram post:

I’d expect nothing less from Kimmel, who’s known for having a twisted sense of humor. Overall, though, his comments and Fallon’s big to-do represent the unique ways in which talk show hosts can get in on the fun that coincides with a professional sports team winning a championship. So, given all that, it’s hard not to consider what kind of fun segments Colbert and his since-moved-out staff would’ve come up with.

Since The Late Show’s cancellation, the late-night landscape has changed, and that’s benefitted the Jimmys in a way. Both of their respective shows have seen gains when it comes to ratings, which seemingly indicates that viewers have been gravitating towards other talk shows in recent weeks. I could imagine that being bittersweet for Kimmel and Fallon, though, considering they’re both friendly with Colbert and were classy with him up through the end of his show.

There’s a firm chance we’ll never know how Stephen Colbert and co. would’ve commemorated the New York Knicks’ championship run. At present, though, let’s just appreciate that there are still some talk show personalities who are still in the position to celebrate this piece of sports history that now marks the 2026 TV schedule.

Stephen Colbert had a big week after The Late Show ended. There was some late night moshing, then his brother got married, and then he had to get back to New York to clear out the office because CBS wasn’t playing when it came to the cast and crew getting out. We know he already has some work lined up thanks to his LOTR movie with his kid and Peter Jackson, but in general, he’s not working 9-5 (or more like 8-6:30) days anymore. As it turns out, though, he’s not the only person taking a step back now his late night gig is over.

News broke this week that Colbert’s better half Evelyn ‘Evie’ Colbert is also having a big goodbye month. She stepped down from her longtime role with Montclair Film, an organization responsible for putting on the Montclair Film Festival each year. She’d served as President of the nonprofit group, which she’d helped to establish back in 2011.

Colbert has not mentioned whether she stepped down as a direct result of her husband’s changing role on the Late Night scene. However, the timing feels like it can’t be coincidental. The Late Show’s last episode hit the 2026 TV schedule on May 21st. The family then had that wedding trip planned, and now his wife is also taking a step back, though she will reportedly continue to be involved as a member, just not a leader of the organization.

Stephen Colbert was on-hand at the event, and the family went out afterward to Joe's Pub to celebrate, but the best part of the evening maybe was what the intrepid interviewer had to say about his wife of 32 years (Via Usa Today). (Also, I hope you have a tissue handy.)

He went on to say her parents would be "looking down" on her and would be "so proud." I should have known Colbert would have lovely words for his wife given the way he often has spoken about her in public, but that was such a touching speech to go out on.

I can’t even imagine the whirlwind the last few weeks have been like for this couple. It’s been go-go-go, but all signs indicate that as the summer progresses it will be slow-slow-slow. It’s sort of hard to believe, but Stephen Colbert and his wife at 62-years-old at this point, and there’s a lot the world can offer outside of work obligations. I hope semi-retirement treats them very well.

Jimmy Kimmel would never say The Late Show’s cancellation by CBS was a good thing — quite the opposite, actually, as he has been outspoken in support of Stephen Colbert and proclaimed late-night is “being poisoned” — but the numbers don’t lie. Both Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC and Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show on NBC have seen their ratings increase since Colbert took his final bow. The Eye Network’s ratings battle with its fellow broadcasting giants doesn’t end there, though, with CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil seeing some interesting trends in the latest numbers.

This year has been quite a tumultuous one for CBS so far under new leadership, from the cancellation of two scripted series to a daytime staffing shakeup and the recent firings from 60 Minutes’ staff. So it was probably something of a relief to see some upward trends in the ratings. Tony Dokoupil’s CBS Evening News finished the week of June 1 with 3.8 million total viewers — 560,000 in the coveted 25-54 demographic, according to AdWeek (via TV Insider). That’s an increase over the previous week of 1 percent in total viewers and 14 percent in the demo.

That’s good news, to be sure, for CBS, but there’s a catch — CBS Evening News still fell in a distant third place behind its competition, with ABC’s World News Tonight, hosted by David Muir, taking the top spot. Here’s how last week's numbers broke down:

Compared to a week earlier, ABC was down 2 percent in total viewers but increased in the demo by 1 percent, while NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas closed the gap with ABC by increasing 6 percent in overall viewership, 12 percent in the demo.

Year-over-year numbers showed CBS’ evening news program falling 2 percent overall but increasing 8 percent in the demo, while ABC and NBC saw larger gains from 2025 — World News Tonight is up 9 percent overall, 7 percent in the demo, and Nightly News is up 16 percent in both total viewers and the 25-54 demographic (where the majority of advertisements are targeted).

Ratings are particularly important for CBS News right now amidst all of its staffing changes and rumors surrounding new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, but it’s not just the CBS evening program that’s keeping a close watch. The morning shows on ABC and NBC have been back and forth, with Good Morning America and The Today Show jockeying for the No. 1 spot. (CBS Mornings remains in a distant third place.)

Today has led more than not, due in part to the ratings boost it got in February in the days after Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother went missing. However, the morning show did not get the bump it expected when Guthrie returned to The Today Show in April, allowing Good Morning America to close the gap.

As for CBS Evening News, we’ll have to see if these latest numbers indicate an upward trend for Tony Dokoupil, after some backlash over the ouster of previous anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois (Stephen Colbert showed his feelings about it with his middle finger).

You can catch the evening news program at 6:30 p.m. ET weeknights on CBS.

Stephen Colbert’s next chapter may still be taking shape, but his first order of business after wrapping The Late Show was apparently very simple: get on the dance floor and go absolutely feral in the most charming way possible. Honestly, this video of him moshing at his after-show will live rent-free in my mind.

ET shared a clip on Instagram from Colbert’s Late Show wrap party, showing the former CBS late-night host bouncing in the middle of the crowd at the after-party following his show's 2026 TV run. The video, credited on-screen to Gisela Margarita Pérez’s Instagram, features Colbert surrounded by partygoers as the room jumps along with him.

The video is labeled, “Stephen Colbert Dances the Night Away at His After-Party for ‘The Late Show,’” which is technically accurate but undersells the energy by about 40%. Colbert is fully in the center of the action, jumping up and down as the crowd moves around him like someone just opened a portal to late-night host spring break.

The videos from the party show Colbert dancing to House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” which makes sense because the man appeared to take the title as a direct instruction. The whole celebration followed Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show, closing out an 11-year run behind the desk. The party was reportedly held at Second, a New York event space, with a wonderfully on-the-nose “Fired & Festive!” dress code.

The guest list also sounds like someone shook a prestige TV snow globe. Reports and social posts from the night mentioned appearances from major CBS figures, former guests and entertainment heavyweights, including Gayle King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon Batiste, Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Drew Barrymore, Mark Hamill, Paul Rudd, John Oliver, Ewan McGregor and others. Sir Paul McCartney, who appeared on the final episode, was also part of the farewell orbit.

The thing that I’ll continue to think about long after the show has faded from my memory is Colbert himself looking delighted and maybe a little unleashed. For years, audiences watched him steer The Late Show through monologues, interviews, political storms and emotional moments with that familiar mix of sharpness and sincerity. Seeing him in the middle of a dance floor jumping like a madman gives the farewell a much warmer feeling.

There has been plenty of conversation about what Colbert will do next. He has talked about wanting to keep performing, and his future includes co-writing an upcoming Lord of the Rings movie. But before Middle-earth, scripts or whatever his next show might become, he got one very human victory lap with the people who helped make The Late Show what it was.

I'm not sure whether this qualifies as moshing in the strictest sense. Nobody appears to be launching themselves into a wall of elbows, and the vibe is more of a joyful wedding reception than a basement punk show. But spiritually, Colbert is absolutely moshing. Late-night moshing. Dad-at-the-center-of-the-dance-circle moshing. “The show is over, and I have earned this” moshing. Honestly, I support it.

By now, Stephen Colbert is off The Late Show and likely living large. I like to picture him sitting in plaid pajamas with a tea (yeah, he’s a tea guy) and maybe a real-life throwback newspaper, but I honestly have no idea if he’s even really been home yet given he was going straight to his brother’s wedding after the show wrapped on the 2026 TV schedule. One thing we did learn recently? Contrary to popular belief, The Lord of the Rings project actually came about before CBS decided to axe its late night series.

Yes, really. Colbert set the record straight in an interview as he was exiting the Eye Network. He told People a tidbit we did know about the project, which is that he’s writing it with his kid. However, he also mentioned this is something he’s actually been working on since Covid days.

That’s kind of good news, I think? If he and his kid have been tinkering with a script for something like five or six years, I’d hope it’s much further along than I would have guessed based on Peter Jackson’s March announcement. The only thing that is giving me a small amount of pause is that it’s a lot of years to be working on one script.

Of course, the man was doing this while working a full time, and very demanding job on network television. If you needed further evidence of how demanding said job is, he was taking a break with a literal “sock over” his eyes before the night in question's show when his agent broke the cancellation news. He’s so tired in the office he had to nap before filming? Maybe things worked out for the best.

Those who have watched Stephen Colbert in any capacity have known he’s a giant Lord of the Rings fan for years. I think he was super curious to talk to Ian McKellen about not having read the LOTR books when he appeared on his show back in February. (McKellen has told several very funny stories previously on this topic.) The two were able to have a spirited chat about him landing the role and his elvish tattoo and more.

It’s felt like a nice way to close one chapter and open another, and it’s still super cool that Colbert got the idea in the first place from SNL alum Bill Hader. Hader went to write for South Park after wrapping on SNL and spent a year honing his writing skills there. LOTR is already near and dear to Colbert’s heart, and I think it’s a great fit, but I’m even more pleased this is something that’s been in the works for a while.

Hopefully that means it’s closer to fruition than we think. Hopefully.

It’s become apparent that the late-night TV industry has seen some massive changes, and that point became even clearer when CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Plenty of talk show hosts have weighed in since then, and the conversation continues in the aftermath of Colbert’s sign-off. Jimmy Kimmel has been particularly vocal about the state of the industry, and he’s acknowledged that a transition is occurring naturally. However, he’s also sharing why he believes the medium is “being poisoned” in a way.

The Late Show’s cancellation was announced in July 2025, at which point CBS’ execs claimed the decision was made due to financial considerations. However, some have theorized that the axe came down due to Colbert openly speaking out against the network’s 60 Minutes lawsuit settlement with U.S. President Trump (which was apparently standing in the way of parent company Paramount’s merger with Skydance). Regardless of the reason for the show being canceled, Kimmel admits to being hurt by it:

Kimmel – who was honored with a Peabody Award this past weekend – previously called out execs over the end of The Late Show. He’s been open about his belief that reports of Colbert’s show losing tens of millions of dollars are untrue. Kimmel has also discussed the elephant in the (green) room, which is the looming possibility of late-night TV drying up for good. However, he still tells Vulture that he thinks talk shows are finding success amid a sea of supposed statistical misinformation:

While illustrating his point, Kimmel references CBS’ decision to renew Colbert’s contract back in 2023, with the host inking a five-year deal. Kimmel questions why the powers that be would even agree to that multi-year extension if Colbert’s show had actually been losing the media conglomerate revenue:

Kimmel’s doubts aside, his assertion that he’s now looking at his own future as a result of The Late Show’s fate suggests that there’s certainly an existential element of this for him. The Man Show alum has been candid about his own late-night future and, even back in 2022, he expressed uncertainty about how long he’d stick with his show. In December 2025, Kimmel did agree to extend his deal to May 2027 yet, even if he were open to re-upping his deal next year, there’s still the question of how ABC would feel about that in this changing market.

As of this writing, though, the Alphabet Network hasn’t given any indication that Jimmy Kimmel Live! isn’t profitable. I’m still intrigued as to what lies ahead for Jimmy Kimmel – as well as fellow hosts like Seth Meyers and John Oliver – in this new era of late-night TV. With The Late Show having reached its conclusion, it’s fair to have genuine concerns about the medium moving forward.

Right now, though, Jimmy Kimmel Live! continues to air weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m ET alongside other talk shows amid the 2026 TV schedule.

Stephen Colbert has spent the last several months in a delicate dance, both looking back and looking forward. He signed on for an LOTR movie, he had sweet goodbye moments with Emma Stone and more big stars, and he’s done interviews trying to wrap up this portion of his career. Most recently, he called landing The Late Show as David Letterman was stepping down a “happy accident,” and shared the sweet story behind why he ultimately decided to sit behind the storied desk.

How Stephen Colbert And David Letterman “Perfectly Overlapped”

Colbert set the stage for his connection with David Letterman. The two men are only 17 years apart in age, and Letterman was just getting rolling when the other late night host was coming of age. They then were tied together years later when the fate of The Late Show was laid out.

It seems like it would have been an easy decision to make. Colbert already had plenty of experience in front of a TV camera at that point, having been on The Daily Show and then leading The Colbert Report for nearly 10 years. But network TV late night was a whole other budget behemoth (as Late Night fans would later learn), and signing on for the role was a big deal for the funnyman.

The actor told People he went to therapy for “four months” to make sure that signing on as Letterman’s replacement was what he really wanted to do. It's a big responsibility and not something one signs on to the dotted line for lightly. Part of the problem is that he really wanted to talk to his mother, whom he was very close to, but she had passed away by this time. So, instead, he called up his sister, Mary. Luckily for CBS, Mary “sealed the deal” for the late night host.

The year 2015 was an exciting time. The first episode of Colbert’s Late Show was up 203% over the same date the previous year. Colbert joining sparked a ratings race with Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon that would continue over the years. What wouldn’t continue were the massive number of subscribers cable and network TV enjoyed for decades.

As those numbers fell off, so did ad revenue. By the end, The Late Show was losing $40 million a year, a number CBS recently confirmed. The show wrapped up last week after months of lead-up to the moment, but when it was done, it was done. Colbert even said the crew had to be out of CBS studios very quickly when it was all over.

I don't know that the Colbert who talked to his sister Mary knew the end would be quite like this, but I'm glad he still gets to hold onto that fond memory.

Byron Allen isn't Stephen Colbert, and that's the exact attitude he has as Comics Unleashed takes over The Late Show's timeslot on CBS. The comedian and host said his 20-year program isn't going to imitate or replace the series during its big showing on the 2026 TV schedule, and he made that clear to CBS at the start.

As Colbert's exit after the final episode paved the way for a smooth (and seemingly much cheaper) transition to Comics Unleashed, Allen appeared on NPR to answer some questions about his new spot on the late-night scene. He brushed off any notion that he'll need to change how he operates just because he'll have a bigger timeslot due to recent events, saying:

The interviewer pointed out that while Comics Unleashed has had a steady audience in the long run, its past viewership numbers haven't ever been on the same scale as The Late Show or other late-night juggernauts. It led to questions of whether Allen may alter his show or ask for larger guests to attempt to draw in more eyes, but the host maintained he's been clear from the start that he's sticking with what he's used to.

Rather than change Comics Unleashed's format or comedy angles to pull in displaced viewers of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Allen would sooner stick with his established audience. To him, he feels like that's the better key to success. In his words:

The bottom line: don't expect Byron Allen to take shots at President Trump like Stephen Colbert did. While his predecessor leaned into speculation that the POTUS played a role in The Late Show's cancellation and traded jabs with his administration, Allen has no interest in offering political commentary or giving a platform to anything other than what he considers good comedy.

It's an interesting strategy that doesn't feel as though it would be instantly successful in past television climates, but these are different times. The traditional late-night television model is dated, and it seems networks are equally as concerned about social media engagement as they are live viewership. Plus, as David Letterman pointed out, Byron Allen is paying CBS for the timeslot, in exchange for being able to claim all its advertising money. The network will make money post-Colbert, and that may be all Allen needs to survive on late-night.

If Comics Unleashed is able to thrive in a way different than The Tonight Show or Jimmy Kimmel Live!, maybe it'll pave the way for new offerings on late-night once again. It's an interesting model, though I will be curious to see how long it runs for. Allen's kept his show running for twenty years, so I wouldn't count him out.

Comics Unleashed airs on CBS weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET. I'm eager to check the series out and see how its doing in its new time slot, and what celebrities are coming out to support it.

It’s clear Donald Trump has taken a unique interest in Late Night during his second tenure as President of the United States. Trump recently made a mean-spirited comment about Stephen Colbert’s final episode, and he’s taken similar shots at Seth Meyers, NBC and other late night hosts in recent months. While Colbert was doing exit press after his CBS series was canceled, someone actually asked him about the Trump stuff, and he has one recurring feeling.

Namely, the dude “needs to know how to pick his battles.” In an interview with People, he explained he has never seen his job on late night as breaking news. In fact, he thinks of himself and his fellow late night hosts as “clowns.” An amusing picture blooms when he says that, but it explains why he doesn’t remotely begin to understand the interest the administration has shown in the circus.

Colbert went on to note he’s speaking both “metaphorically” and “literally.” While he’s found the current administration’s distaste for late night to be a curiosity, it doesn’t sound like he is particularly worried about further ramifications. This is particularly true now The Late Show is officially off the air.

While he says he’s not afraid of the current government, it’s worth pointing out that some rumors have circulated noting CBS’ decision may have had ties to the political sphere. The network has said the decision was purely “financial” and has come at a time when late night shows are no longer cash cows. It’s certainly true that advertising revenue is down across the late night spectrum.

This isn’t Stephen Colbert’s problem anymore, however. Next up, he’s already landed a gig writing a new Lord of the Rings movie with Peter Jackson, and if that isn’t a lucrative proposition, I don’t know what is. After LOTR Colbert could always get back to his interviewing roots if he wished. Letterman’s done that on Netflix in a much more leisurely format, but I almost wonder if Colbert will continue in more of a behind-the-scenes role.

I like this idea of Colbert going back to his roots as a writer. Maybe it’s the glasses? I don’t know, but it feels fittingly full circle for his career.

There’s been a bunch of back and forth when it comes to why the Late Show was canceled at CBS. If you were to ask those close to the network, the loss of millions of dollars a season was the main factor involved. If you were to ask fellow late night host Jimmy Kimmel, Trump’s been mad about late night (which has been confirmed), and that’s the bigger reason behind the decision. Lending into this, there have been additional rumors Stephen Colbert was being muzzled due to politics. Whether due to bloated budgets or cronyism remains a question, but we do know a lot of people lost their jobs when The Late Show went off the air late last week.

In fact, a large swathe of people are out of work or looking for work as the late night CBS series wrapped. The cast got together right as the Eye Network series was saying goodbye, and it turns out a huge number of people work behind the scenes on the talk series. CNN’s Brian Stelter shared the post as the show was wrapping up:

That's a huge number of people! To make matters even more dire, Stephen Colbert said the network was not really letting the show go peacefully and positively. Instead everyone had to be out of the building, and out of the building fast, with everyone coming back the next week to clear stuff out. It almost feels more like a firing situation than a big, beautiful sayonara. To me, that makes tension feel palpable, but perhaps I’m reading into things.

One thing that has been cited in CBS’ defense is the fact advertising dollars are down significantly over the last several years, as more and more people cut cable and use YouTube and social media platforms to watch shows like Late Night, The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! Those platforms don’t yield nearly as much money for the networks as their own sponsored ads do.

In fact, previously we reported that late night had garnered $439 million in earnings back in 2018. By 2024, that number was only $220 million.

So, there is something to be said for CBS’ official statement on the matter, which was the decision to cancel The Late Show was “financial.’ Insiders said the show was “losing money left and right,” and it’s hard to cut a major swathe of staff or other budget money and to still produce an a-tier, network TV-level production.

In some ways, it sounds like the network was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and this photo of the staff on the last day sort of goes a long way to explain a lot of that bloat we’d heard over the last few months. It's still sad though, because it's a picture of people who showed up every day and had landed a high level job. These are people with a desire to make great content. The worst part is they were successful at it; it's just the circumstances that were wrong.

To me, The Late Show ending is devastating. I knew in my lifetime that eventually Stephen Colbert would be stepping away from the gig, but I don’t think I really understood a future where there would be no Late Show on the 2026 TV schedule. Maybe that makes me naive, but it’s comforting to think of certain pop culture icons as monoliths, and it’s heartbreaking when it all goes away.

May 21 marked the end of an era. After hosting The Late Show for 11 years, Stephen Colbert officially signed off as his program came to an end on the 2026 TV schedule. CBS canceled the late-night talk show last year, and it caused quite a stir in Hollywood and around the world, with many celebrities and fellow late-night talk show hosts showing their support for Colbert. That support has continued over the months, and following the finale, Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, and many more sent some sweet shoutouts.

Colbert went above and beyond for the final episodes of The Late Show, bringing on special guests and doing special segments. Thursday’s finale, which drew The Late Show’s biggest audience in 10 years, according to The New York Times, had appearances from some famous friends such as Jon Stewart and Bryan Cranston, and the host's fitting final guest was Paul McCartney. It was emotional and very sweet. And those feelings didn’t stop when the lights got turned off, as many celebrities took to social media to send messages to the beloved host:

• Samuel L Jackson: Your Comedic Salve will never be replaced for our wounded souls! Thanks for ALWAYS being our Dr FEELGOOD 🫵🏾‼️ @colbertlateshow @colbert
• Ryan Reynolds: Late night tv will never be the same. I’ll miss your tender embrace @colbertlateshow
• Jamie Lee Curtis: THANKS FOR THE LAUGHS @colbertlateshow @colbert
• Conan O’Brien: Here's to Stephen Colbert, a man of great integrity and wit. Onward, friend, to bigger and better things.
• Seth Meyers: For as great as he is on screen, Stephen is an even better person when the cameras stop rolling. A truly generous, kind and thoughtful man who elevates those around him. Can’t wait for his next chapter and grateful to know him.
• Marlee Matlin: One of my favorite interviews was with @StephenAtHome He GOT my humor. Wishing you only the best in your journey beyond your talk show. We need your voice more than ever! @colbertlateshow
• Barack Obama: For more than a decade, Stephen @Colbert has been one of the top voices of late night — making us laugh and, even more importantly, reminding us who we are and what America stands for. Michelle and I enjoyed being Stephen’s guests — even when the games were rigged — and we’re grateful to call him a friend.

All of these messages, plus many others, and the outpouring of love and support that Colbert has received in these last several months, show how much he and The Late Show matter. It’s clear that everyone has had a great time on the late-night talk show, and while many are still debating what truly led to the show’s cancellation, it’s obvious that a ton of people did not want it to happen.

In addition to the sweet messages, some late-night shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, aired reruns for part of the week out of respect.

That being said, not everyone has been respectful, as President Trump’s post about the final show is as mean-spirited as you’d think. However, overall, the support for Colbert and his program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Earlier this month, Colbert revealed what he’s doing the day afterThe Late Show ends, sharing that his brother was actually getting married in D.C., and it’s much more important than what’s going on with the show. Colbert’s been busy with the final episodes of The Late Show, but he still has his priorities straight when it comes to his family.

With The Late Show’s cancellation, the future of late-night television is in question. Following Jimmy Kimmel Live’s brief suspension last year and the cancellation of The Late Show, it's unclear what could happen next. However, thankfully, Colbert was able to go out with a bang and surrounded by a whole bunch of folks who adore him and his work. Those who missed the finale of The Late Show can stream it now with a Paramount+ subscription.

President Trump has made his dislike of Stephen Colbert abundantly clear over the last few years; so, it should surprise absolutely no one that the Commander-In-Chief used the last episode of the comedian’s show to express that hatred one more time. Early this morning, he hopped onto social media and let it rip, saying the comedian was “like a dead person” and “a jerk.”

The post was a little shorter than some of the rants President Trump has gone on in the past, but as always, it did not mince words. You can check out the full quote below, which appeared on Truth Social…

Colbert took over The Late Show franchise from David Letterman, who retired in 2015. The former Colbert Report host was always been more political than his predecessor, but over the last several years, he’s gotten increasingly vocal about President Trump and his policies. CBS didn’t seem to have a problem with the show’s direction, but as it became clear the company was going to merge with Skydance last year, some wondered whether Colbert would be able to coexist with new CEO David Ellison, who is widely perceived to have a friendly relationship with President Trump.

The two were apparently on semi-decent terms, but nonetheless, last summer, Colbert and those working at The Late Show were told this current season would be the last in a surprise decision that shocked the industry. Exactly why the decision was made, however, is a matter of hot debate. Rumors have swirled about the show allegedly losing money, and rumors have swirled about those at the top allegedly not enjoying how vocal the host is politically. We’ll likely never know the full story.

Regardless of why it happened, the extended runway emboldened Colbert to get even more political during his final months, and President Trump, who had always been vocal about his dislike for Colbert (and fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel), regularly took to social media to respond or sometimes just proactively go off about how much he disliked the comedian. The President openly celebrated on social media when the ending announcement was first made, and it only seems fitting he’d do the same thing following the last show.

It’s unclear what exactly Colbert is going to do long-term. He’s shared his short-term plans, which involve attending a wedding and his son’s graduation, but beyond that, I would imagine he’ll take a little time for himself. Working on a late-night show every single day is grueling.

I can imagine wanting to take some naps after that, but at some point, whenever he’s ready to get his hands dirty again, I’d have to imagine many of the studios will be interested in joining forces, even if it’s not for a traditional daily late night show. His fanbase is going to want to hear from him again, and when that does happen, I have to imagine President Trump is going to have something to say about it.

If you missed Colbert’s last episode of The Late Show, fortunately, you can still watch it. It’s available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription and is a fitting send-off for one of the great late-night comedians, which also includes appearances from Paul McCartney and a slew of other celebrities, including Paul Rudd, Ryan Reynolds, Jon Stewart and many of the other late-night hosts.

• How to watch The Late Show With Stephen Colbert's final episode in the U.S.
• How to watch The Late Show With Stephen Colbert's final episode while traveling abroad
• More details about the final episodes

The end of television era is upon us, as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to air its final episode after 33 years, as the Colbert-hosted talk show was canceled back in May 2025, with the plan for it to conclude at the end of its eleventh season. That time has come, and fans of both the comedian and late night in general can tune into the broadcast from anywhere in the world. Read on to find out how.

How To Watch The Final Late Show Episode In The US

The Late Show's final episode is set to air on CBS on Thursday, May 21, at 11:35 p.m. ET, after taping earlier that day at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. Take note that this is reportedly an extended episode, though it's not clear at the time of writing how much longer it will air beyond its normal end time.

Below is a list of TV providers to choose from.

• Subscribe to YouTube TV and save $15 a month for the first five months.
• Subscribe to DirecTV to save up to $500 over the next two years.
• Subscribe to one of Sling's various plans, including 1-3 day passes.
• Subscribe to Hulu + Live TV

You can log into each of the above providers from anywhere in the world using NordVPN.

How To Watch The Final Late Show Episode From Anywhere

Surely, Stephen Colbert has fans around the world, especially those who also love and follow his UK colleague John Oliver. The easiest way to watch the final episode of The Late Show from around the world will be to use NordVPN to log into one of the TV services listed above, and save 76% in the process.

Otherwise, a good option for anyone watching in the U.S. or around the world would be to stream it on Paramount+ the next day. If you're in a country where you find yourself unable to log in trouble-free, avoid those hassles by logging into your account safely through a VPN.

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Ever since it was revealed that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled, Jimmy Kimmel has been a very loud and passionate supporter of the host. Now, as we approach the final episode of Colbert’s program, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host has shared a heartfelt tribute about his pal and longtime colleague.

During Kimmel’s May 20 monologue, he began with a “programming note” about how his show will be going dark on May 21, “out of respect for our colleague and friend Stephen Colbert.” He then gave a heartfelt tribute to his friend and The Late Show, saying:

Kimmel went on to reflect on the state of late-night television and how the current hosts are all very supportive of one another. Unlike “the old days of late night,” Kimmel, Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are not competitive. In fact, Kimmel, Meyers, Fallon and John Oliver all appeared on The Late Show recently to support Colbert (you can stream that episode with a Paramount+ subscription). Speaking to that point, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host said:

I feel like it’s worth noting that this message was placed right at the start of Kimmel’s monologue. He made it clear that his show would be off the air for Colbert’s last episode on the 2026 TV schedule, and he spoke for a while about why this was an important and emotional moment. He also criticized CBS and its choice to cancel The Late Show while doing this, saying:

He then transitioned into his political comedy for the episode by joking that they needed to talk about the people who “forced" The Late Show "off the air.”

Overall, this is another example of how Jimmy Kimmel has been an outspoken supporter of Stephen Colbert. He was quick to share his thoughts on the cancellation right when it happened, he’s appeared on The Late Show in the months since the news broke more than once, and he even put up a billboard telling Emmy voters to vote for Colbert’s show instead of his.

Now, we’ve reached the very end of Stephen Colbert’s run, and Jimmy Kimmel is continuing to support him. The other hosts are too, as The Tonight Show is also going dark alongside Jimmy Kimmel Live to give the 11:30 p.m. slot fully over to The Late Show.

So, to watch Stephen Colbert’s last episode of The Late Show, make sure to tune in to CBS tonight, May 21, at 11:35 p.m. ET.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is nearing the end of the road, as the show is set to wrap up its 11-season run this week as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Ahead of the talk show’s farewell tour, there was a lot of talk about the show’s surprising cancellation. Many have debated the reasoning that CBS’ parent company, Paramount Skydance, has given for pulling the plug on the series. Now, ahead of his final sign-off, Colbert is getting real about where he stands with Paramount’s CEO.

Skydance and Paramount merged in 2025 and, after that consolidation, David Ellison took the reins as CEO. In time, Paramount opted not to renew The Late Show, with that move coming after Colbert criticized his employers on air for settling a $16 million lawsuit with U.S. President Donald Trump involving 60 Minutes. That suit was widely viewed by analysts as the last hurdle that could prevent the merger from receiving FCC approval.

More recently, Colbert spoke with THR, during which much of the cancellation drama was discussed. The veteran media personality was also asked about his current standing with Ellison. According to Colbert, he and Ellison do not currently have a relationship, though they have apparently spoken to each other. Colbert also laid out what he’d heard about the businessman when the merger was still coming together:

So what exactly do a late-night talk show host and the head of a major media corporation talk about when they meet up? Well, Colbert shed some light on that, too, and I’m honestly surprised by the topic. He and Ellison apparently had a conversation regarding a piece of technology that the former thought could be invaluable for the company:

Ellison and co. explained months ago that The Late Show’s cancellation came down to financial factors, though some individuals who work in the industry have argued against that claim. However, per monetary details that eventually surfaced, the late-night program had allegedly been losing millions of dollars over the last several years. Additionally, there were also those who believed that the decision to cancel Colbert’s show was politically motivated. Yet Colbert himself doesn’t buy into that politics-based theory.

In the lead-up to his final show, Stephen Colbert has been opening up about a quite a bit. That includes the phone call he had with CBS’ entertainment head, George Cheeks, after the cancellation and the amount of time the Late Show staff have to pack up their belongings after the last show. Colbert has mostly played coy when it comes to what he wants to do next but, based on his comments, it’s hard to say if fans can expect him to go into business with David Ellison at some point.

Check out the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which airs on Thursday, May 21 at 11:35 p.m. ET.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is finally ending this week, this marking the end of an era in late-night TV history. Once the show finishes its final taping, most of the staff will actually need to make a quick exit. Colbert himself recently revealed the timeline for when he and the other employees have to vacate CBS' premises after his late night show's untimely cancelation. All in all, the answer differs depending on who's being asked about.

Stephen Colbert, whose final show airs May 21st, spoke about the exit process during the latest episode of Strike Force Five. As the star of the show, Colbert may get a bit more of a grace period than others, but he also revealed he has some big family events that run up against the finale's taping:

It's super cool (and totally understandable) of Colbert to say his son's graduation and brother's marriage are more important than his show ending, and I genuinely believe he feels that way as well. Overall, he's seemingly handled this entire situation relatively well. Not only that, but this turn of events has also led to some funny and memorable moments on his "flaming toboggan ride" of a show.

As for the timetable for Stephen Colbert to leave the office, he's getting a grace period to clear out his belongings. During the podcast, host recalled that after David Letterman did his final episode of The Late Show, most of his set was in the dumpster the very next day. Yet Colbert will apparently get a week to collect his personal belongings. As for his colleagues, the process apparently has to move a lot faster:

Each host of Strike Force Five (Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon) grumbled about that speedy timetable, perhaps exemplifying the level of care each of them has for their individual crews. Oliver, in particular, was shocked their final day of pay was the end of the final show, seemingly leaving some to clear out their spaces on unpaid time.

Fortunately, it seems the crew will get a bit more time than those who worked on David Letterman's iteration of The Late Show did. As for Colbert, he shared insight into where he stands with packing:

I don't imagine many late-night hosts are ones for procrastination, so I'm not too surprised to hear Stephen Colbert is already packed up and ready to move on for whatever comes next. In the immediate future, we know he's attending family events, but what about after that?

The selfish side of me hopes he'll return to TV in some way, though, after enduring this rollercoaster ride to the end, I wouldn't fault him for wanting to take a break. For the first time in a long time, he won't have to worry about keeping up with celebrity news and current events and not comment on whatever jabs those in government may make at him. (At least, he won't have to do that third thing on the job anyways.) But here's wishing Colbert and co. the best moving forward and that everyone gets their stuff out of the office on time.

Tune in for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during its farewell week on the 2026 TV schedule, as the show airs nightly at 11:35 p.m. ET. I'm eager to see how these final episodes go as well as what other moments might come out of Colbert's final week on the network.

As terrible as it was for Stephen Colbert and all others involved when CBS canceled The Late Show last year, that much-maligned decision has certainly led to some late night highlights and lowlights that might not have happened otherwise. One such positive outcome was the recent reunion for the former Strike Force Five quintet of Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Jimmy Fallon. The podcast conversation was filled with fun stories and anecdotes from each host, but the bulk of the focus was on the outgoing Late Show frontman.

In the midst of all the jibber-jabber, Jimmy Kimmel asked Stephen Colbert if there was a ever a guest whose attractiveness was distinct enough to become a distraction, and the Strangers with Candy vet had an answer locked and loaded.

Of all the guests that have sat across from Colbert’s various desks over the past 21 years (including both The Late Show and The Colbert Report), Dawson’s Creek and Fabelmans star Michelle Williams is the Hollywood starlet who turned the normally loquacious wordsmith speechless. He continued:

This makes me think talking to her about Dying for Sex’s sex scenes would be his anti-Kryptonite, and learning from the source that her oral sex skills have been strengthened due to working with intimacy coordinators. (The first season is streaming via Hulu subscription.)

Williams may hold that top honor, but Colbert shared that he had even stronger reactions in the past over Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz. As he put it:

The entire Strike Force Five conversation is a hoot to watch (stream it on YouTube), and I can only hope that this group is able to get together more often after The Late Show is over. Not that the other four won't still have their own late night jobs, but still. Hopes don't have to be logical.

The final Late Show with Stephen Colbert episode will air on CBS on Thursday, May 21, with Jimmy Kimmel taking the night off out of respect.

Stephen Colbert has received a lot of support from his fellow late-night hosts amidst the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, both publicly and privately. We all saw how Jimmy Kimmel and more sounded off against CBS in the aftermath, and Colbert has more recently revealed the funny texts he, Kimmel and Jon Stewart exchanged after the news broke. As The Late Show’s final episode approaches, Kimmel is making another classy gesture as a show of respect to Colbert.

The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to air on the 2026 TV schedule on Thursday, May 21, on CBS, and when it does, it will not be competing with Jimmy Kimmel Live! for viewers. Jimmy Kimmel confirmed to LateNighter that he will not air a new episode of his ABC late-night show next Thursday in deference to Stephen Colbert.

Kimmel reportedly did the same thing back in 2015, when David Letterman signed off for the last time from the CBS series, saying at the time that he had too much respect for Letterman to do anything that might pull people away from his swan song.

Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel have formed quite the bromance, as months after The Late Show’s surprising cancellation announcement, Jimmy Kimmel was suspended for comments he made on his show in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death. The hosts have since foregone any essence of competition that they might have from being on opposing networks, appearing as guests on each other’s shows.

While CBS has maintained that the decision to end The Late Show was purely financial, many think politics are at play, as the cancellation came just days after Stephen Colbert criticized CBS for settling a lawsuit with Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.

Jimmy Kimmel himself has spoken out about the supposed $40 million loss Stephen Colbert’s talk show accrued, saying that number is “beyond nonsensical.”

Kimmel also showed his support for the CBS host ahead of the Emmy Awards, where they were both nominated for Outstanding Talk Series. The ABC host took out a billboard to throw his support behind The Late Show, writing, “I’m voting for Stephen.” Incidentally, Colbert did win his first Emmy after that, and he gave a sob-worthy acceptance speech about love and loss.

Jimmy Kimmel may be the most vocal of Stephen Colbert’s supporters, but he’s not the only one of their peers who’s stepped up. Conan O’Brien spoke out about silencing the late-night hosts. Jimmy Fallon expressed shock over The Late Show’s cancellation and joined Jon Stewart, John Oliver and more in a great sketch on The Late Show to raise fans’ moods:

I love how much these guys all band together, despite some of their shows airing on competing networks. It’s a remarkable show of respect that Jimmy Kimmel would intentionally step aside so that Stephen Colbert and The Late Show can have the biggest audience possible for their final farewell.

If you want to tune in, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s finale will air at 11:35 p.m. ET Thursday, May 21, on CBS.

We’re only a couple of weeks away from the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airing on the 2026 TV schedule. 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. Stephen Colbert may have not fully processed his upcoming career change, but he recalled the phone call he had with his boss, where he said he wasn’t going to shy away from talking about it either.

Stephen Colbert has been as open as he can be about the impending end of his late-night show, including what he’ll miss the most and the funny texts he got from fellow hosts. With that, he divulged the contents of his conversation with CBS’ head of entertainment George Cheeks following the cancellation news. Colbert revealed to THR:

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 — he was going to address some people’s opinion that the cancellation was politically motivated

For context, Colbert made critical comments about CBS’ 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 for The Late Show getting the ax, citing an alleged loss of $40 million in a year — a number that fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has called “beyond nonsensical.”

Meanwhile, Colbert said the figure surprised him but he had no wishes to litigate it. As for his conversation with George Cheeks, he continued:

Stephen Colbert has insisted he’s too busy putting together The Late Show’s final episodes to think about much of anything else. He’s got a couple of things lined up afterward, including a Lord of the Rings script, some “much more important” family events to attend, and he’s admittedly relieved to possibly take a break from the news cycle.

It’s 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.

Sometimes comedy is the best medicine and a great coping mechanism. That seemed to be in play as some of Stephen Colbert’s fellow hosts reached out to him in the immediate aftermath of The Late Show’s cancellation. I write that because the host revealed the texts Jimmy Kimmel and Jon Stewart sent him right after he learned that his show would be ending, and the conversations are surprisingly funny.

In the months since Colbert’s cancellation, the other late-night hosts have been advocates and allies for him. Right after it was announced that his show would end on the 2026 TV schedule, Jon Stewart went on a heated rant on The Daily Show, and in the weeks following the news, Jimmy Kimmel called out claims about why The Late Show was canceled.

It turns out, those two also personally texted Colbert right after they learned about his program’s fate. After being asked about talking with “Seth Meyers and the Jimmys” about what happened during an interview with THR, Colbert recalled the text he got from Kimmel:

Well, that’s hilarious, and it turned out to be true. Stephen Colbert won his first Emmy in the wake of his cancellation, and Jimmy Kimmel wanted that to happen. In fact, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host had a billboard made that said: “I’m voting for Stephen.” After that happened, Colbert promised to “pay him back next year” and do the same thing for Kimmel.

So, while the text Kimmel sent Colbert right when the cancellation happened could feel a bit morbid, it’s also funny, and it turned out to be accurate in a way.

Now, on to Jon Stewart. When Colbert announced that The Late Show would be ending, The Daily Show host texted a one-word question to his friend and former colleague. Here’s how that conversation went:

It’s not funny-funny, it’s more like sad-funny. However, overall, it was nice to hear how Colbert’s fellow hosts were reaching out right after this shocking news broke. I would assume that other hosts, as well as notable celebrities, reached out to him as well. However, as Colbert noted, after those two texts came through, he handed his phone over to his wife and didn’t look at it for a while.

This all happened in the immediate aftermath of the cancellation news, and now, sadly, we are approaching the final episode of The Late Show. The show is ending this month, but have no fear, Colbert has a stacked lineup of guests for his last episodes, including Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Seth Meyers and David Letterman (and I wouldn’t be shocked if Stewart showed up at some point too).

The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will air on Thursday, May 21, at 11:35 p.m. on CBS, and I can only imagine the texts (both funny and heartfelt) the host will receive after he says his last goodbye to late-night.

Reality may be starting to sink in for Stephen Colbert, who has admitted that he’s so busy with the final episodes of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he hasn’t fully processed his feelings about his talk show’s cancellation. The conversation is starting to shift to what’s next for the comedian, and while there’s probably a fair amount of uncertainty in his future, he knows where he’ll be the day after his final episode.

The last edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will hit the 2026 TV schedule on Thursday, May 21, and while emotions will certainly be running high, the host won’t have a whole lot of time for reflection. In fact, he won’t even be the center of attention for very long, as he has a big family event in the books. Colbert told THR:

It’s really nice that Stephen Colbert will have his family around him when he says goodbye to his band, his crew, his writers and the audience, as he said that’s what he’ll miss the most about the late-night talk show. Then he’ll have something of a distraction as the spotlight will turn to his brother.

That’s not the only huge milestone his family has coming up, either, as Colbert continued:

That’s a pretty strong display of how the world keeps turning despite what any one person is going through. It’s the end of an era for Stephen Colbert, who’s losing his job amidst this messy brouhaha with CBS, and at the same time, his brother and his son are both celebrating wonderful and exciting new beginnings. The fact that the host can even see those things as more important than his show ending is pretty amazing.

It’s a new beginning for Stephen Colbert, as well, who is actually somewhat relieved, he’s said, to be able to opt out of the national conversation if he wants to. He’s also working on a Lord of the Rings script, after being inspired by Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader to “just go do something you love.”

Tune in to see the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35 p.m. ET Thursday, May 21. It may not be the biggest thing going on that week in the Colbert family — at least in the host’s eyes — but it’s still pretty monumental for his career and today’s media landscape at large.

The end is near for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with CBS’ late-night talk show set to air its final episode May 21 on the 2026 TV schedule. The network chose to cancel the show after 33 years — 11 of them under Colbert — and while emotions will certainly be running high when the host signs off for the final time, I can’t imagine it could get more stressful than that very first night.

Stephen Colbert is rounding out his last episodes on late-night TV with some big guests and plenty of humor, and before one recent taping, the comedian regaled his audience with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s origin story. Honestly, it sounds like it’s a miracle anyone ever saw it! The host recalled the hours following their very first taping, saying:

Technology, am I right? I’m certainly no expert, so if the button doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do when you press it, what 's even the next step (after turning it off and on again, of course)? This place of panic seems to be where Stephen Colbert was living a mere 30 minutes before he was set to make his Late Show debut. He continued:

Either the comedian’s IT people were very confident in their abilities, or they were trying to keep it cool in front of the boss, because one of the editors decided the best course of action was to bypass intermediary channels and export the show straight to the broadcast network from his computer.

The only issue, Stephen Colbert said, was that there were no TVs in the room to be able to tell if it was working. Now we’re getting to the heroic finale, and I'm picturing dramatic music and slow-motion when the host says:

The crowd went wild! The bourbon flowed! The editor who’d figured out the workaround took a victory lap, and while that was unquestionably a stressful few hours for Stephen Colbert, it’s a night he will remember for the rest of his life, he said:

Not only did The Late Show with Stephen Colbert get a second show, it ended up getting about 1,800 of them. The host has admitted there’s a bit of relief mixed in with all of the emotions of the show’s cancellation, but after all the memories he’s formed over the past decade-plus with his crew and writers — like the one he told above — it’s no wonder that it's the people that he’s going to miss the most.

Tune into The Late Show’s final episodes, airing at 11:35 p.m. ET weekdays on CBS.

It’s hard to believe that we have less than a month before Stephen Colbert’s final edition of The Late Show on CBS will air on the 2026 TV schedule. A lot has been said about how he feels about the cancellation of the late-night talk show that he’s hosted since 2015 and what the hardest part will be. But you have to take the good with the bad, and Colbert admitted there’s one thing he’s relieved about.

The news of CBS canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was shocking when it came last July, but as the host actually rounds out the final episodes with some impressive guests, it’s really sinking in that the end is near. Stephen Colbert told The New York Times that putting the show together on a daily basis takes about 95% of his brain, so when asked if he also felt some relief about what’s transpiring, he said, “Oh, yeah.” Colbert continued:

As it is now, Stephen Colbert doesn’t just have to be well-informed of all that’s happening in the political arena — he has to have an opinion about it and be able to craft an eloquent commentary around it. While he no doubt would prefer the alternative — where he and his crew continue to be gainfully employed — there’s no denying that it’ll be nice to take a breath and actually turn off the news. A media cleanse, if you will.

This is a concept he literally hasn’t even had time to fathom until now. Getting new episodes of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to air has left him no time to process all of the huge life changes that lie ahead. Every day is like being on a “flaming toboggan ride,” he’s said, with all of his energy going into producing a new episode.

He does know, however, what he’s going to miss the most, and that’s the people who have been by his side for all these years — the band, cameramen, writers, sound, lighting and the audience. Even as the end approaches, Stephen Colbert admitted he’s still got a “white-knuckle grip” on them, and the jokes he makes about losing his job don’t soften the blow all that much.

We’ll have to see what’s next for Stephen Colbert — other than that The Lord of the Rings movie script he’s working on — after he’s able to get a little distance from the day-to-day news cycle and regroup. I’m sure there’s some relief to be had, given how much he puts into The Late Show, but I can’t see Colbert straying too far from the political conversation, for the same reason.

The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set for Thursday, May 21, on CBS.