“It won’t just be Colbert”: Shocked viewers of “The Late Show” react to the show’s cancellation after Paramount calls it a “financial decision”
In a stunning move, CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its run in May 2026.
This happened just days after the late-night host criticized the network for settling with President Donald Trump. Colbert publicly revealed the show’s cancellation to his studio audience, who met the news with boos and disbelief.
Colbert has hosted the show since 2015, when he took over from David Letterman. Over the past decade, his blend of political satire and heartfelt commentary helped cement The Late Show as one of late-night’s most influential platforms. CBS and its parent company, Paramount, praised Colbert’s legacy in a joint statement Thursday.
"We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time,” the network said, noting that the choice was "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," it added.
The Late Show is only the latest of comedy news programs to shutter its doors, as After Midnight, hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, also recently announced its cancellation so the stand-up comedian can focus on her comedy career.
Despite that statement, the timing raised eyebrows
Just days earlier, Stephen Colbert had blasted CBS and Paramount for settling a lawsuit with Trump. The president accused the network of editing a 2020 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Although CBS admitted no wrongdoing, the company agreed to pay Trump $16 million and to release unedited transcripts of future presidential interviews.
Colbert didn’t hold back. During Wednesday’s monologue, he mocked the settlement as a "big, fat bribe" and accused the network of giving in unnecessarily. He quipped that Paramount, known for producing Transformers: Rise of the Beast, clearly understands something being "completely without merit."
Still, Colbert himself responded to the announcement with grace and humor. "Next year will be our last season," he told the audience. "It’s not just the end of our show, but the end of The Late Show on CBS. This is all just going away."
Social media erupts, questions motives
Fans and commentators flooded social media with outrage, many questioning the "coincidental" timing of the announcement. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Cal.), who appeared on Colbert’s show Thursday, tweeted, "If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said, "Stephen Colbert’s show was canceled three days after he called out Paramount, CBS’s parent company, for folding to Trump with a $16M settlement for a lawsuit that even they called 'without merit.' People deserve to know if this is a politically motivated attack on free speech."
One user on X wrote, "First After Midnight, now this? Paramount is burning bridges with every comedy fan they have left."
"This makes perfect sense since Colbert is the *checks notes* ... Top-rated late-night show?!?" @hunterw.bsky.social wrote.
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