We’ve known for some time now that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would be coming to an end, but knowing the show’s exact end date makes it feel real.
CBS shocked fans when it announced the cancellation of The Late Show in July 2025. It was shocking alone to see CBS bring an end to Colbert’s run as host, but what made the news even more stunning was the fact that CBS was bringing an end to The Late Show after more than 30 years.
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television,” said George Cheeks, Co-CEO Paramount Global and President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, President, CBS Studios in a statement announcing the news.
The move marks a major shift in the late-night landscape as it’ll bring an end to CBS’s late-night programming, which has been a staple for decades. It’s one that has drawn criticism from fans, Hollywood insiders, and Colbert, himself, who was blindsided by the decision. The criticism has been well-earned as The Late Show has remained a strong performer for CBS under Colbert’s tenure as host and is more culturally relevant than ever amid the current political landscape.
In fact, this has been a major point of discussion among audiences. While CBS maintains that the decision was made due to financial reasons, many feel the cancellation was politically motivated. This is because the news came just days after Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company for paying out $16 million to President Trump to settle a lawsuit filed over a 60 Minutes interview.
With May now just months away, CBS has confirmed that the final episode of The Late Show will air on Thursday, May 21, bringing an end to the franchise once and for all. Colbert confirmed the air date for his final episode during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, marking a turning point for late-night.
When Colbert sat down with Meyers he admitted that it finally feels real now that the end date is so close, and it’s a feeling that is setting in for the fans as well.
As Colbert proved again just this week in calling CBS out for preventing him from airing an interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico due to concerns over the FCC’s equal airtime regulation shifts. It’s moments such as that which make the reality of The Late Show ending that much more devastating for the late-night landscape.
Now more than ever, we need figures such as Colbert and his fellow late-night hosts including Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon, to be using their platform to challenge misinformation, spotlight hypocrisy, and keep audiences engaged in the national conversation. Colbert and Kimmel, in particular, have been leading this charge and come under attack on many occasions from President Trump and his administration for their unapologetic political commentary.
We’re certain that Colbert will not be without a platform for long once The Late Show comes to an end, but late-night as we know it will never be the same once the lights dim at the Ed Sullivan Theater on May 21 with The Late Show’s final episode.