Stephen Colbert’s reign to end as CBS pulls plug on 'Late Show' after 11 seasons

CBS has announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will come to an end in May 2026, concluding an 11-season run and marking a significant shift in the late-night television landscape.

Stephen Colbert, who took over the show from David Letterman in 2015, has led The Late Show through a transformative era, blending political satire and cultural commentary to make it the most-watched late-night program in America for nine consecutive seasons. The show’s final episode will also mark the end of CBS’s involvement in late-night television, with the network confirming it will not replace the program with another talk show.

While Colbert’s departure is being officially attributed to economic factors, the announcement has sparked debate about the broader future of network late-night programming. Advertising revenues for late-night television have been steadily declining, falling from $439 million in 2018 to just $220 million last year. CBS, under parent company Paramount Global, has been aggressively restructuring amid financial pressures and ongoing merger discussions.

“This is all just going away,” Colbert reportedly told the studio audience, acknowledging the end of a chapter that has defined his career and influenced the genre.

Reaction to the announcement has been swift and divided. Political figures and industry voices on both sides of the aisle weighed in. Supporters of Colbert expressed dismay, while former President Donald Trump celebrated the cancellation and suggested other outspoken hosts, including Jimmy Kimmel, might follow. Kimmel and fellow host Seth Meyers have since publicly defended Colbert and criticized the climate in which political satire is increasingly under pressure.

The decision also raised concerns among Colbert's allies in the entertainment community. Members of the Writers Guild of America and figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned whether politics played a role, particularly in light of Colbert’s recent on-air criticism of CBS’s $16 million legal settlement with Trump.

As Colbert prepares to bow out in 2026, his departure underscores a larger industry reckoning. With rising production costs, shrinking viewership, and competition from streaming platforms and social media, the era of nightly broadcast talk shows may be drawing to a close.