Final season set to conclude in May after nearly a decade on air
CBS has announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2025, bringing an end to nearly ten years of Colbert hosting the popular late-night program. The news was revealed by Colbert himself during Thursday’s taping, prompting audible disappointment from the live audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.
Colbert will not be replaced
Colbert clarified that the show is not being passed on to a new host. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” he told the audience. The conclusion of the show also marks the end of The Late Show on CBS, a staple of late-night television.
According to an official statement from the network, the cancellation is a financial decision unrelated to the show’s content, performance, or other internal matters at the parent company.
Broader context and public reaction
The announcement comes amid ongoing developments at Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, which is currently seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to merge with Skydance Media in a deal worth $8.4 billion.
Public reaction has been swift. U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, who appeared as a guest on the Thursday episode, called for transparency regarding the network’s decision. “If Paramount and CBS ended The Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know,” he posted on social media. Senator Elizabeth Warren also expressed skepticism about the timing of the cancellation.
While CBS maintains that the decision is based solely on financial factors, its proximity to ongoing corporate negotiations and recent commentary by Colbert has led to speculation among viewers and political figures alike.
