Stephen Colbert’s Late Show to End in May 2026, Says CBS

After nearly a decade on air, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is coming to an end. CBS announced on Thursday that the long-running late-night program will wrap up in May 2026, marking the end of an era and one of late-night TV’s most vocal critics of Donald Trump.

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The news comes just days after Colbert called out a legal settlement between Trump and Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS. The case involved Trump suing over how 60 Minutes edited an interview with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Many believe the settlement was rushed through to help smooth the sale of Paramount to Skydance.

Speaking to his audience at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theatre, Colbert said he was told Wednesday night that “next year will be our last season.”

“It’s the end of The Late Show on CBS,” he said. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015, following the retirement of David Letterman. Before that, he built a name for himself with satirical news coverage on The Daily Show and as host of The Colbert Report, where he famously parodied right-wing pundits.

As traditional television continues to evolve in the face of streaming and changing viewer habits, Colbert’s exit marks yet another shift in the late-night landscape.