Stephen Colbert Not Pleased as CBS Cancels 'The Late Show'

On Thursday evening, CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be ending after next year's season, meaning that the final show in the series will be in May of 2026. Needless to say, Colbert, understandably, was not exactly happy about the decision, but he kept it classy.

Colbert broke the news to his viewers before Thursday night's episode of the show.

"Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I found out just last night," he said. "Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending 'The Late Show' in May."

Obviously, the news was met with a chorus of boos from the audience. While Colbert admitted that he shared their displeasure, he also had a classy response to CBS as he offered his gratitude.

"Yeah, I share your feelings," Colbert admitted in a video shared to social media.

"It's not just the end of our show, it's the end of 'The Late Show' on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away," Colbert added. "And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners. I'm so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home. And of course I'm grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night."

In a statement, the network explained that the decision to end the show was "purely a financial decision" and was not related to Colbert or the show's performance.

"'THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT' will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season," the company said in a statement on Thursday. "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."

"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," the company added.

The decision to cancel the show marks the end of a decade-long run.