The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, the CBS television network announced in a surprise statement on Thursday. The move "is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night [television]," and "is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters," CBS said.

Yes, CBS is canceling The Late Show franchise after more than three decades on the air. Stephen took over the show in 2015, and it was originally hosted by David Letterman. The Late Show will end in May 2026, CBS executives announced on July 17, 2025.

The announcement came after Colbert spoke out against CBS Global settling with President Trump. Network executives said the decision to cancel "Late Night" was "purely a financial decision."

In a shocking move, CBS is ending “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” next year, and apparently exiting the late-night television business altogether. The network, citing financial pressures,

CBS said it is canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” at the end of the upcoming television season in May, a casualty of industry changes that have dealt a crippling blow to advertising revenue.

The problem began at the tail end of the station's prime time programming at 9:13 p.m., but it didn't interfere with the 10 p.m. newscast because that's locally generated, Chastain said.

Colbert followed “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s attack of the deal one week earlier. Stewart works for Comedy Central, also owned by Paramount, making the two comics the most visible internal critics of the $16 million settlement that was announced on July 1.

Stephen Colbert went off on his employer, Paramount, on Monday after the company decided to settle with President Trump in his lawsuit against the network.