The end of an era is rapidly approaching as Stephen Colbert confirmed The Late Show will officially sign off on Thursday, May 21.
According to LateNighter, the host made the announcement during a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday night (January 26). CBS previously announced that The Late Show would end in May 2026, following the close of the 2025–26 broadcast season.
CBS cited financial reasons for the cancelation, claiming the show loses $40 million annually. At the time, some critics argued the axing was politically motivated, with parent company Paramount hoping to appease President Trump amid its merger with Skydance, which required government approval.
Addressing the cancelation on his show last July, Colbert confirmed it isn’t just the end of his tenure as host but the conclusion of a late-night institution. “It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS,” he stated. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”
The Late Show debuted in 1993, after then-host David Letterman jumped from NBC to CBS. Letterman hosted over 4000 episodes before stepping down in 2015 and handing the reins over to Colbert.
After news of the final episode’s air date spread, fans took to social media to react.
“So sad that his show is ending, I really thought he ended up being the most sincere of all of them in late night and at many points the funniest,” wrote one Reddit user. “I hope that he has something else in the works because the world needs more Stephen Colbert, not less.”
“This whole situation is really upsetting,” said another.
“Hopefully he turns up at some other network. We need him now more than ever,” another added.
One hopeful viewer said, “I’m betting within a year Netflix, Apple, or Amazon will give him a new show.”
“I loved his run on the show. I hope he’s on something else soon, preferably in a daily format and not weekly like Stewart or Oliver,” wrote another.
“Sucks, but in general I imagine he has the opportunity to do whatever he wants, like another talk show even if it has to be a podcast. And he’s undoubtedly smart enough that he already has plans for it, but some time off might also be in order,” stated one fan.
“And when the world needed him most, he vanished,” another added.
Another said, “Considering what 60 Minutes and CBS news turned into I’m sure he’s over the moon they canceled his show. Like he might have had to quit if they didn’t cancel it.”
“Although it would never happen him running the Colbert Report back as a YouTube only vehicle would be a genius move,” suggested another.
“Can’t wait to see who he has on has his final guests. Hopefully it’s someone like Obama or someone else that will really get under Trump’s skin,” wrote one commenter.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS
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