CBS Cancels Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Amid Late-Night Collapse

After nearly 11 years of hosting The Late Show, Stephen Colbert is out. CBS announced Thursday that the show will officially end in May 2026, marking the conclusion of a franchise that first began in 1993 under David Letterman.

CBS claims the decision was “purely financial,” but it’s hard to ignore the reality: Colbert’s ultra-left political rants and increasingly one-sided comedy have alienated millions of viewers. Late-night TV has been bleeding audiences for years, and Colbert’s program once a ratings leader has suffered the same fate.

“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire THE LATE SHOW franchise at that time,” CBS said in a statement. “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.”

During Thursday’s episode, Colbert addressed the news head-on:
“I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” he said.

But while CBS framed the move as a financial restructuring, critics and political observers suspect more. Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, who was a guest on Colbert’s show the same night, posted on X:
“If Paramount and CBS ended The Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.”

Colbert’s cancellation reflects a broader trend: late-night talk shows have seen massive declines in ratings and cultural influence. What was once a space for clever, universal comedy has devolved into political activism disguised as humor. Colbert, in particular, became known more for bashing Donald Trump and conservatives than delivering lighthearted entertainment.

Even CBS’s statement, while full of praise for Colbert, couldn’t hide the writing on the wall. Late-night programming no longer commands the audiences it once did, and streaming platforms have swallowed up much of the traditional TV viewership.

• Viewership for late-night shows has dropped over 50% since 2016, as audiences reject overtly political programming.

• Younger viewers, once a key late-night demographic, now overwhelmingly favor streaming or online content, further eroding the format’s relevance.

• Colbert’s ratings, while still competitive, are far from the cultural force that Letterman’s Late Show once was.

CBS insists it will not replace Colbert with a new host, signaling the possible end of late-night on the network altogether. “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,” the network said.

The next 10 months will serve as a farewell tour for Colbert and his team, but the cancelation underscores a truth Hollywood doesn’t want to admit: politically charged late-night shows have lost their mass appeal.

With Colbert’s exit, another bastion of left-leaning entertainment fades a sign that viewers are increasingly rejecting the media establishment’s cultural agenda.

Share this article and subscribe to our newsletter for more updates on the latest in entertainment and media shake-ups.