The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been canceled after running for 10 years.
It will not be long before Stephen Colbert stops staying up late. The comedian announced that the long-running late-night franchise, which started with David Letterman in 1993, is coming to an end after 33 years after hosting The Late Show for ten years.
In a video posted on his Instagram on July 17, Colbert informed his audience that "it is not just the end of our show, but it is the end of The Late Show on CBS." “I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away.”
The 61-year-old acknowledged his devoted fans and crew while bemoaning the network's decision to sunset the franchise, which he revealed he had only heard about the day before.
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“I'm grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us,” Colbert went on. “I'm grateful to share the stage with this band, these artists over here every night. And I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here. We get to do this show for each other every day, all day, and I've had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years.”
“It's a job that I'm looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months. It's gonna be fun.” Colbert said, hinting optimistically at the show is May 2026 finale with his signature wit. It will be enjoyable.
The show was nominated for an Outstanding Talk Series Emmy the day prior, so why has the network opted to cancel it? David Stapf, Amy Reisenbach, and George Cheeks, executives at CBS, offered candid commentary.
In a combined press release, the three stated, “This is purely a financial decision 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.” The CEOs continued by expressing their gratitude for Colbert and the popularity of the show.
“Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult,” the statement went on. “With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”
It’s the end of an era in late-night television.
