Stephen Colbert Discusses 'The Late Show' Cancellation: What He's Said
Former The Daily Show correspondent and beloved late night host Stephen Colbert shocked fans in July 2025 when he announced that CBS has decided to end The Late Show With Stephen Colbert - and the late night program overall - in May 2026.
The surprising move retired the longtime late night franchise, launched by David Letterman back in 1993.
Since the shocking announcement, Colbert has been refreshingly candid across a string of interviews, dishing on how CBS delivered the news, debunking rumors and what's already cooking for his next act.
Keep scrolling to look back at everything he's said:
How Stephen Colbert Found Out ‘The Late Show' Was Over
Colbert made his first post-cancellation appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2025, where he walked Jimmy Kimmel through the moment his career trajectory tilted. The bombshell news about the show's cancellation came in July 2025 from his and Kimmel's mutual manager, James "Baby Doll" Dixon.
"He said, ‘Hey, baby, I just need to talk to you for 15 minutes after the show on Wednesday,'" Colbert recalled. "Five minutes on the phone with Baby Doll is an hour, so 15 minutes in person, what the hell is this about?"
The chat stretched to two and a half hours. By the time Colbert got home, his wife, Evelyn "Evie" McGee Colbert, took one look at him and knew.
"She goes, ‘What happened? You get canceled?' I said, ‘Yes, I did,'" Colbert explained.
Dixon, it turns out, had been sitting on the news for days to protect Colbert's vacation. "I was far out at sea. I was drowning my entire life in spanakopita and Greek rosé, it was fantastic," Colbert quipped.
Breaking the News to the ‘Late Show' Audience
Stephen Colbert delivered the news during a July 2025 taping - but only after recording the rest of the show first - sparing his staff, guests and studio audience a funeral-like vibe.
"Before we start the show I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season, the network will be ending The Late Show in May," he told the booing crowd. "I share your feelings. It's not just the end of our show but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away."
Just delivering the news turned out to be a difficult affair.
"I f***ed up twice and had to restart," he explained. "The audience thought it was a bit, and they started going, ‘You can do it!'"
A Surprising Sense of Relief
Speaking with GQ ahead of the 2025 Emmys, Colbert sounded oddly Zen about the show's eventual end.
"Listen, every show's got to end at some time," he told the magazine. "But I think we're the first number one show to ever get canceled."
The grind of late night, he admitted, has been real.
"I love what we do and I love the grind," he explained. "But there is a sense of relief that I might not have to put on the snorkel and get into the sewer every day."
And his identity beyond the show and late night hosting? According to the comedian, that is locked in.
"I know who I am without this," he said. "I didn't do any of this until I was 41."
Stephen Colbert Addresses Rumors About ‘Fishy' Cancellation Timing
CBS execs George Cheeks, Amy Reisenbach and David Staph insisted the move was "purely a financial decision." But fans weren't buying it - not after Colbert had publicly torched Paramount's $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump on air just days earlier.
In an April 2026 interview with The New York Times, Colbert addressed the chatter.
"I do not dispute their rationale. I do make jokes about it," he said. "But I also completely understand why people would say (A) that doesn't make sense to me and (B) that seems fishy to me. Because the network did it to themselves by bending the knee to the Trump administration over a $20 billion, settled for $16 million, completely frivolous lawsuit."
Trump's suit alleged 60 Minutes had unfairly edited an interview with his 2024 presidential rival, former vice president Kamala Harris. Colbert noted that "less than two years before they called to say it's over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time. So, something changed."
That said, he's not picking a public fight with the network.
"It behooves me not, it ain't ‘behoovy' for me, to spend a lot of time thinking about that," he explained. "I have zero desire to have a contentious relationship with my network."
What's Next for Stephen Colbert After ‘The Late Show'
Colbert isn't slowing down once his late night run comes to an end. Per Vulture, he's already filmed a guest stint on CBS's "Elsbeth" playing a late night host named Scotty Bristol.
He's also flirting withthe idea of diving into the podcast world. During a July 2025 episode, he pitched "Las Culturistas" hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.
"I'm going to need a gig soon, so sell me on podcasting," he said. "Is it fun?"
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 2:16 PM.