# CBS is ending ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ next year (May 21, 2026) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [July 17, 2025, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000 "2025-07-17T23:57:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/1 "2025-07-17T23:57:07Z")
Posting here because there is no way this isn’t politically motivated: [https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/media/cbs-cancels-stephen-colbert](https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/media/cbs-cancels-stephen-colbert) > CBS, however, said in a statement that “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.” Bull fucking shit. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/2 "2025-07-18T00:03:23Z")
When you have nothing to lose, you can do anything. Gonna be a fun ten months. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/3 "2025-07-18T00:03:41Z")
I wanted to like Colbert on the Late Show, I really did. But like so much else in culture it was all completely subsumed by Trump for the last decade and I found that I rarely actually wanted to sit through his show because it was all Trump all the time. Including his constant terrible “I’m doing Trump now, aren’t I funny” voice. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/4 "2025-07-18T00:04:07Z")
I’ll bet another network picks him up. PBS? That will bring in donations like crazy! Win-win. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/5 "2025-07-18T00:21:35Z")
Somewhere in a closet, Jay Leno is lurking and listening. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/6 "2025-07-18T00:24:34Z")
To be fair, I’ve been reading for several years that all of the Big 3 networks [have been struggling with their late-night talk shows](https://medium.com/@americanpublicledger/the-slow-death-of-late-night-tv-why-nobodys-watching-anymore-15aa5ff08f7d), from a ratings and profitability standpoint, as younger viewers in particular are now watching things online, rather than over-the-air or on cable. But, despite that, it’s pretty obvious that this is another appeasement to Trump, particularly as Paramount looks to gain regulatory approval for their merger with Skydance Media – whose CEO, David Ellison, has apparently been sucking up to Trump in recent weeks, after donating to the Biden campaign last year. I’ve been watching Colbert’s show since he took it over from David Letterman, and it seemed to me that, initially, he struggled with finding his voice on the show, and the direction he wanted to take it. As Trump’s candidacy in 2016 took off, Colbert made the show increasingly political (and regularly mocked Trump), which did help his ratings, at least in the short term, but also likely turned off some viewers: Trump supporters, as well as those like @asterion , who may not have wanted so much political content from their late-night talk show. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/7 "2025-07-18T00:33:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > as well as those like @asterion , who may not have wanted so much political content out of a late-night talk show. I don’t mind political content. I spent my college years (and grad school and up until both Stewart and Colbert left Comedy Central) watching the Daily Show and the Colbert Report night after night. But again, it was just simply all Trump all the time. At some point there are other things to talk about. The same dynamic made me stop listening to Wait, Wait on NPR, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/8 "2025-07-18T00:35:19Z")
CBS had been planning to renew the show following Colbert, _After Midnight_, when the host decided not to continue. Instead of finding another host, they just shut the show down and have no intention of replacing it with any kind of late night programming other than reruns. Whatever feelings they have about Colbert, I’ll bet they have more negative ones about late night. Talk has been for years that late night programming as we know it is a dead genre. Did politics play a part? Sure. (Colbert was the executive producer of _After Midnight_, and maybe that made a difference.) But I’ll bet that the end didn’t get bumped up much if at all. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/9 "2025-07-18T00:52:28Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I wanted to like Colbert on the Late Show, I really did. But like so much else in culture it was all completely subsumed by Trump for the last decade and I found that I rarely actually wanted to sit through his show because it was all Trump all the time. Including his constant terrible “I’m doing Trump now, aren’t I funny” voice. Kimmel and Colbert both hit Trump constantly. Kimmel is funnier. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/10 "2025-07-18T00:53:06Z")
I will make a point of watching tonight to see if Colbert comments on the decision. And, by the way, if the reason is political, why would they continue with The Daily Show? That is far more political. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/11 "2025-07-18T01:02:35Z")
According to this cite, [Colbert is the #1 show in late night](https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/late-night-tv-ratings-q2-2025/), although Jimmy Kimmel has slightly better numbers in the 18-49 demographic. A late night talk show is about the cheapest programming there is. In exchange for plugging their latest project, book, or cause for 6-12 minutes, the network gets A (or at least B) list talent for union scale. Throw in a band and you have several million viewers per week to show advertisers, and plenty of nicely timed clips for YouTube and podcasts. The only thing cheaper is _Nightline_ which got pushed out of the 11:35 spot years ago. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Whatever feelings they have about Colbert, I’ll bet they have more negative ones about late night. Talk has been for years that late night programming as we know it is a dead genre. If CBS were to program **anything** at 11:35 after shutting down Colbert for “economics” it will be a sign of pure political caving. As it stands right now, it’s merely a highly visible sign of greed and politics in big business. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/12 "2025-07-18T01:08:54Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > If CBS were to program **anything** at 11:35 after shutting down Colbert for “economics” it will be a sign of pure political caving. Looking forward to the return of… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WadxQCQ7Ag0/maxresdefault.jpg "CBS Late Movie open (8/24/75) - from 2-inch videotape") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WadxQCQ7Ag0) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/13 "2025-07-18T01:11:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I will make a point of watching tonight to see if Colbert comments on the decision. > > And, by the way, if the reason is political, why would they continue with The Daily Show? That is far more political. He posted a 2 minute video ahead of the show tonight. He only thanked everyone but didn’t really say anything. If the reason was political why let him keep doing the show for another 10 months? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/14 "2025-07-18T01:12:12Z")
Probably ten months is the remaining contract term. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/15 "2025-07-18T01:13:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And, by the way, if the reason is political, why would they continue with The Daily Show? Jon Stewart’s contract on _The Daily Show_ only runs through the end of this year, It won’t surprise me in the slightest if his contract is not renewed, and that show gets axed, too. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/16 "2025-07-18T01:13:48Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > If CBS were to program **anything** at 11:35 after shutting down Colbert for “economics” it will be a sign of pure political caving. _CBS, however, said in a statement that “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 corporate financial pressures are real; Paramount laid off another 3.5 percent of its workforce just last month._ _Due to plunging ad revenue, “The Late Show” is no longer profitable, according to a source close to the network._ Why? you can get other programming much cheaper. His salary is like $15 Million a year. > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > A late night talk show is about the cheapest programming there is. In exchange for plugging their latest project, book, or cause for 6-12 minutes, the network gets A (or at least B) list talent for union scale. Plus $15 million for his salary alone, plus productions costs, etc ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/17 "2025-07-18T01:14:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Probably ten months is the remaining contract term. Probably so. May of next year is the end of the show’s season. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/18 "2025-07-18T01:29:58Z")
The major networks are already propaganda on par with what Fox News was 20 years ago. Everything is massively in favor of Trump, republicans, and fascism. Colbert was one of the few voices on mainstream media willing to speak truth to power. They say they’re going to kill the late night talk show in general but I wouldn’t be surprised to see something basically similar pop up because it’s cheap to make and it has a basically guaranteed audience, but it will be much more fascist supporting. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/19 "2025-07-18T01:31:00Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > But, despite that, it’s pretty obvious that this is another appeasement to Trump, particularly as Paramount looks to gain regulatory approval for their merger with Skydance Media – whose CEO, David Ellison, has apparently been sucking up to Trump in recent weeks, after donating to the Biden campaign last year. I 100% believe it’s about this. This is the way to get the government to allow this to go through. Colbert is the sacrifice they make. And if there has been a ratings drop of late, it’s not a hard decision. But I’m sure if Harris was in the White House, or this deal was not in the works, they wouldn’t be killing such a long-running show with a dedicated (if shrinking) fanbase. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000/20 "2025-07-18T01:33:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Plus $15 million for his salary alone, plus productions costs, etc $15 million divided by 160 first-run shows per year works out to $93,750 per show. Mariska Hargitay gets about the same $15 million for 22 episodes of _Law and Order SVU_. Late night TV is cheap to produce and delivers a steady (if shrinking) audience. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-is-ending-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-next-year-may-21-2026/1021000.md?page=2)