Stephen Colbert Reveals Final Episode Date of The Late Show
Stephen Colbert has officially announced the final episode date of The Late Show. The last show will air on May 21, following his tenure as host since 2015.
Final Episode Announcement
Colbert shared the date during a taping of NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers, which is set to broadcast on Tuesday night. He will be a guest on Meyers’s show to discuss his time on The Late Show.
CBS Cancels The Late Show
CBS had confirmed in July 2022 that The Late Show would conclude in May 2023. This decision marks the end of CBS’s late-night programming, which began over three decades ago with David Letterman in 1993.
Colbert stated, “It’s not just the end of the show. It is the end of the Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced – this is all just going away.”
Reasons Behind the Cancellation
News of the cancellation emerged shortly after CBS’s parent company, Paramount, reached a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump regarding alleged deceptive editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. This followed a time when Paramount was in the process of a significant $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, awaiting federal approval.
Days before the show’s cancellation was announced, Colbert referred to the settlement as a “big fat bribe”. CBS claimed the cancellation was a financial decision driven by the challenges facing late-night programming and was not related to the show’s content or performance.
Reactions to the Cancellation
The end of late-night television’s top-rated show stirred emotions among viewers and celebrities. Political figures also expressed their thoughts, with Bernie Sanders questioning the timing of Colbert’s exit. He remarked, “Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late-night host, slams the deal. Days later, he’s fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO.”
Conversely, Donald Trump celebrated Colbert’s dismissal, sharing his sentiments on Truth Social. Colbert has consistently criticized the Trump administration throughout his career, often mocking its decisions and policies.
As the final episode approaches, fans of The Late Show look back at a program that has sparked laughter and political discussion over the years.
