Stephen Colbert is set to sign off from his final Late Show broadcast on CBS Thursday night after fronting the show for over a decade.
The cancellation of the Emmy-winning comedian’s show was announced last July and came days after Colbert criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount, over a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump.
In the legal dispute, Trump’s team accused 60 Minutes of deceptively editing a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Colbert’s final episode has been billed as an “extended” send-off beyond the show’s typical one-hour time slot.
Trump said he would “have a message at a later date” when asked for his thoughts on the end of Colbert’s show.
The White House said Colbert was “a pathetic trainwreck with no talent and terrible ratings, which is exactly why CBS canceled his show and is booting him off the airwaves” in a statement to The Independent.
Colbert has hosted the show since September 2015, while the franchise has been on the air for 33 years.
Allies of the comedian have rallied around the star, with Jimmy Kimmel urging viewers to “never watch CBS again.”
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After departing late-night television, Colbert’s next role will see him write a new Lord of the Rings film.
Stephen Colbert set to sign off from Late Show for final time tonight
Comedian Stephen Colbert is set to sign off from CBS’s long-running Late Show franchise for the final time as it comes to an end Thursday after 33 years.
It originated in 1993 with David Letterman, who later passed the torch to Colbert in 2015.
We’ll bring you the latest throughout the night.
Rhian Lubin21 May 2026 21:04
