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:
My son graduates college on the 18th. My show ends on the 21st. My brother gets married on the 23rd. So, I’m kind of sandwiched between things that are a little more important. You know, a little perspective. And then we come back, I’m clearing out the office. We gotta get our shit out of here.
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:
No one’s got a job after that night. I think the next day everyone’s fired. I don’t think there’s – I think maybe the crew has some time to clear out the studio, but the staff all has to be gone.
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 think the set has longer, or the crew has time to wrap. But I think they’re going to start tearing shit out immediately. I know my staff is not paid the next day. Like, they’re out. So I’m already packed. I’ve already packed my office.
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.
