CBS has announced it will end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May 2026, bringing both Colbert’s tenure and the entire Late Show franchise to a close. “Stephen is irreplaceable,” CBS said, confirming the show won’t continue with a new host. Colbert shared the news with his audience, saying, “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”
Since taking over from David Letterman in 2015, Colbert reshaped late-night with sharp political satire and in-depth interviews, making The Late Show the most-watched program in its time slot for several years. The announcement comes shortly after controversy surrounding CBS’s parent company Paramount, which settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump — a move Colbert publicly criticized.
