On Thursday, July 17, 2025, CBS announced that The Late Show with host Stephen Colbert would end its run in May of 2026. The Late Show has been a staple of late night television since 1993. Colbert has hosted the show since 2015.
Colbert will not be replaced. His show will be completely departing the network. CBS stated that the cancellation was "purely a financial decision" not related to Colbert's performance or to the presentation of the show.
Since Colbert is one of Donald Trump's fiercest critics, many believe that the cancellation of his show was politically motivated. In fact, just three days before the cancellation, Colbert denounced CBS for paying $16 million to Trump to settle a law suit over edits to a 60 Minutes interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. He called the settlement "a big fat bribe."
Democrats and progressives have been quick to condemn CBS's decision. Adam Schiff (D-California), who had just completed a taping with Colbert, declared that America "deserves better." He wrote the following on the site formerly known as Twitter: "If Paramount and CBS ended the late show for political reasons, the public deserves to know." Senator Bernie Sanders alleged that Colbert's dismissal was not a coincidence. He said, "CBS's billionaire owners pay Trump $16 million to settle a bogus lawsuit while trying to sell the network to Skydance. Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO."
Paramount is in the midst of a proposed merger with Skydance. The merger requires approval from Donald Trump, a longtime target of Stephen Colbert. Colbert is a thorn in Trump's side. How better to please Trump than to get rid of Colbert.
However, former MSNBC host Keith Olberrann, has disputed claims that the dismissal of Colbert's show was politically motivated. "If that were the case," he wrote, "they wouldn't be keeping him on until next May."
Not surprisingly, Donald Trump was absolutely delighted by the cancellation of The Late Show. In a social media post, he expressed his belief that Colbert had indeed been fired. He also anticipated that Jimmy Kimmel would be next to get the axe. "His talent was even less than his ratings," he said of Colbert. "I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next," Trump wrote gleefully.
It's hard to believe that the cancellation of Colbert's show had nothing to do with the comedian's criticism of Donald Trump. One thing is for certain, the demise of The Late Show signals the further decline of late night talk television. Viewer habits have changed. Gone are the days when Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and David Letterman ruled TV's after hours.
- Joanne