The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, franchise ending in 2026
In what has to be one of the most shocking headlines of the entire year, CBS has revealed they are moving on from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Not only that, but the entire franchise as we know it is coming to a close come May 2026.
Colbert confirmed the news today while at a taping for the show, noting that he just learned about it the day before. According to a report coming in right now via Deadline, here is what George Cheeks, Co-CEO Paramount Global and President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, President, had to say:
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”
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CBS also reportedly added that the decision to end the show next May is “purely a financial [one] against a challenging backdrop in late night … It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” We tend to think this comment is added in the wake of a lot of the merger discussions that have been happening at Paramount for the past several months.
The Late Show is not the first late-night series at the network to come to a close, as After Midnight recently concluded its own run with Taylor Tomlinson returning to standup. The news of Colbert’s series coming to a close is especially shocking for a number of reasons, with the principal one being that it is arguably one of the three most important late-night shows out there. It is also a legacy that goes back to David Letterman. Losing it at this point is stunning, regardless of if you are a regular Colbert viewer or not.
What do you think about The Late Show with Stephen Colbert being canceled?
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