The biggest question in late-night TV remains what will Stephen Colbert do next. He still has nine months left behind the desk at The Late Show, but that hasn't slowed down speculation about his future. Former Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. thinks he knows where we'll see Colbert in 2026.
“God bless whatever Stephen Colbert does next year with no network person to give him notes," Wood said at the Edinburgh TV Festival. “When he’s running rampant on YouTube like Don Lemon, that will create a bigger issue for this administration in 2026 if he builds an audience,” he predicted. “It will be a very different landscape if he continues to run off. If [the Trump administration] were smart, they would leave us alone and let us tell our jokes.”
Moving to a straight YouTube show would make for an interesting move by Colbert. He's already teased working with Netflix, but YouTube would give him even greater control and perhaps a wider audience than the streaming service. The Late Show YouTube channel boasts 10 million subscribers, and Colbert's monologues routinely get 3 to 5 million views. It's safe to assume that the same audience would follow Colbert to his own channel.
Wood is also correct in predicting Colbert would be even more unfiltered without a network leash on his content. Right now, it doesn't seem like Colbert cares about any notes from Paramount and CBS, but that's because he's going scorched earth on the way out. A move to a cable network or streaming service could introduce a level of interference in what the comedian says.
Colbert could avoid any headaches by launching his own YouTube channel. And unlike a podcast, a YouTube show wouldn't limit Colbert to just monologues and interviews. There would still be room for remote pieces and perhaps a return to his sketch comedy roots.
Wood knows a little bit about what it's like to find a new gig after closing the door on a successful late-night TV run. He quit The Daily Show in 2023 after eight years as a correspondent, citing the workload and limitations on career opportunities outside of the Comedy Central show.
He returned to late-night in 2024 as host of CNN's Have I Got News for You. The panel show also features Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, with season 3 set to premiere on September 6. Late-night TV stars like Andy Richter, Larry Wilmore, Sam Jay, and Jenny Hagel have appeared on the show. Maybe there's a spot waiting for Stephen Colbert before the potential launch of a YouTube channel?