CBS has announced that after several decades, its late-night talk show “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will come to an end in 2026.
Host Stephen Colbert announced the news during Thursday’s Late Show taping. It’s not just the end for Colbert as host on the series, but for the show itself which began in 1993 with David Letterman.
CBS said in a statement that the reason for the show’s cancellation after more than three decades comes down to money: “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.”
Colbert revealed in the taping he himself only found out about the news on Wednesday night and when the audience booed the news, he responded “I share your feelings”.
He also confirmed “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away” before takign time to thank the house band and loyal audience. He added that the series still has ten months to go, and so they intend to push on with doing great stuff in those final months.
Colbert debuted as Late Show host in September 2015, taking over from David Letterman following his work on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report”.
CBS has touted “The Late Show” as the #1 show in late night for the past nine seasons, but the entire sector is undergoing a major crunch as networks look to cut costs.
Source: TV Line
