CBS is axing “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in May 2026. The announcement on live air Thursday came two days after Colbert spoke out against CBS Global settling with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” story.

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.

“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the ‘Late Show’ in May,” Colbert said in the clip, as the audience booed. “And, yeah, I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS.”