NEW YORK – CBS has decided to end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May 2026, bringing an end to the show’s run after more than three decades on the air. The announcement, made on July 17, 2025, marks the closure of a television staple that previously flourished under David Letterman.
CBS pointed to financial difficulties and a challenging market for late-night TV as the main reasons behind the decision, noting that viewership numbers have dropped sharply and the format has become less profitable.
The Late Show, once a leading late-night program, has seen a steep fall in its audience during Colbert’s tenure. Recent Nielsen numbers show the show averaged 2.417 million viewers for 41 new episodes in the 2024-2025 season.
This is a stark contrast to the nearly 4 million nightly viewers seen at its peak in 2018. This slide reflects a wider move away from standard broadcast TV, especially among younger people who prefer streaming services and short-form video.
The Late Show Operated at a Loss
CBS has faced shrinking ad revenue, and a source close to the network shared that The Late Show has operated at a loss for years, with advertising income taking a hit after the pandemic.
Stephen Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015 after building a strong fan base with The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. His sharp take on politics and frequent critiques of Donald Trump helped the show reach the top of the late-night ratings for nine years running.
While his style attracted devoted viewers, a shift in the political climate and a steady stream of one-sided comedy began to turn away those looking for more balanced entertainment.
Many posts on X from conservative viewers share a sense of fatigue with Colbert’s focus on progressive topics, with one person commenting, “Colbert was super talented but he’ll have to sleep in the woke bed he made,” echoing disappointment from those who found the content repetitive and narrow.
The timing of the cancellation has raised several questions, as it follows Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with Donald Trump after a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.
Stephen Colbert’s Comedic Approach
Stephen Colbert openly mocked the settlement on air, calling it a “big fat bribe,” which led to rumours of a political motive behind the show’s end, even though CBS maintains it was a strictly financial call.
On X, conservative voices welcomed the cancellation, some saying it was long overdue, while others criticized Stephen Colbert’s comedic approach.
CBS has also cut After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson, and other networks are making similar moves. NBC dropped the band from Late Night with Seth Meyers and cut The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to four episodes a week.
The late-night genre is struggling as awards like the Emmys now only nominate a handful of talk shows, down from several just a few years ago. Ad dollars are shifting to online video, leaving shows with high production costs and fewer viewers looking outdated.
Colbert broke the news to his audience during a taping at the Ed Sullivan Theatre, thanking his crew of 200 and CBS for their support. Audience reactions included boos and shouts of “No!” showing the show still has dedicated fans, even as numbers are down.
“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” Colbert told the crowd, making clear that the franchise itself will end.
For many conservative viewers, the cancellation feels like a long-awaited response to a show that focused heavily on liberal politics. As one X user put it, “No one watched him because he’s terrible.” With CBS retiring the Late Show brand, the network seems to be stepping away from the high costs and shrinking audience of late-night TV.
Whether this move sparks a larger shift in how big networks approach late-night programming is uncertain, but for now, Stephen Colbert’s departure signals the end of an era for traditional late-night comedy.
