Back in July 2025, talk show fans received the most devastating news. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a staple of late-night television for over a decade, would be concluding after the 2025–26 season due to financial reasons. Although an exact end date has not been announced yet, it's already been confirmed for a May 2026 farewell.
Since then, Colbert has been powering through each taping with his trademark humor, even joking about potential future opportunities with Netflix and Amazon. Besides his current hosting duty on The Late Show, we'll see Colbert next in the Elsbeth season 3 premiere. Like in real life, he will portray a talk show host. However, it looks like there's a possibility that things might not end well for his character based on the episode's synopsis. Other than this new fictional hosting gig on Elsbeth, it's unknown what other projects he has lined up next.
However, what we do know is that Colbert is on high after winning his first Emmy for The Late Show at this year's award ceremony. On Sunday night, he took home the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series. At the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys, his longtime director Jim Hoskinson also took home an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series. Prior to securing these wins, the popular late-night talk show had been nominated 31 times without taking home a single award. So this was a big moment, not just for Colbert, but for his entire team.
Following his win, Colbert chatted with reporters backstage at the Emmys about the upcoming end of The Late Show. Instead of dwelling on the sadness of the show wrapping up, he shared that he's focusing on the joy of working with his team and savoring every remaining taping. He told reporters that he loves the day-to-day work with his staff and is determined to make the most of each day until the show’s finale. He's really committed to making the last months meaningful and wants the show to finish successfully and gracefully.
“I love what we do. I want to go to work on Tuesday and for the next nine months with these people, and work hard, but have fun. You know, we do the show with each other. We do the show for each other every day, and then I have the privilege and the responsibility at the end of that day to share with the audience what we did. And I know it’s coming to an end in May but I’m going to savor every day of it. You know, I want to land this plane absolutely beautifully and I’ve got nothing else on my mind.” - Stephen Colbert via Deadline
The Late Show will definitely be missed when it ends its run in May. Sure, there are other late-night talk shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live! that are still worth tuning into. But late-night television just won't feel the same without Colbert's razor-sharp humor and clever political commentary. That's why we need to see him back on our screens as soon as possible. A guest star role on Elsbeth just isn't enough!