A late-night TV establishment is coming to an finish.
Right this moment, CBS introduced The Late Present with Stephen Colbert will finish its run after the 2025-2026 broadcast season.
George Cheeks, co-CEO Paramount International, president and CEO at CBS; Amy Reisenbach, president, CBS Leisure; and David Stapf, president, CBS Studios, introduced the information in a joint assertion, saying it was “purely a monetary determination in opposition to a difficult backdrop in late evening” and had nothing to do with the present’s efficiency.
“The Late Present with Stephen Colbert will finish its historic run in Might 2026 on the finish of the published season,” the assertion stated. “We take into account Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and can retire The Late Present franchise at the moment. We’re proud that Stephen known as CBS house. He and the published can be remembered within the pantheon of greats that graced late-night tv.”
Colbert additionally introduced this system’s finish in a taped section for Thursday’s Late Present, saying he had first heard the information on Wednesday.
“It’s not simply the tip of our present, nevertheless it’s the tip of The Late Present on CBS. I’m not being changed. That is all simply going away,” Colbert stated.
The Late Present host went on to thank CBS for being nice companions and word that the present would proceed for an additional 10 months.
“I’ve had the pleasure and the duty of sharing what we do day-after-day with you in entrance of this digital camera for the final 10 years. And let me inform you, it’s a implausible job. I want someone else was getting it,” Colbert stated.
David Letterman first debuted on The Late Present in 1993, with Colbert taking on in 2015. With 10 years of Colbert behind the desk, the present usually received the Nielsen rankings for late-night broadcast reveals and has racked up 33 Emmy nominations, together with Excellent Directing for a Selection Sequence and Excellent Speak Sequence nominations for 2025.
Nevertheless, Colbert’s exit is simply the most recent blow for late-night.
Regardless of the positives, the decline of late-night TV amid rising budgets and dwindling advert {dollars} has been a relentless story within the headlines, with NBCUniversal chopping The Tonight Present right down to 4 days every week in 2024 and CBS opting to finish The Late Late Present following James Corden’s exit in 2023.
The Late Present involves an finish as Paramount awaits FCC approval for its multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance Media. In cost-cutting measures, Paramount additionally laid off a number of hundred staff in June.
See the total assertion from CBS management under:
“‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ will finish its historic run in Might 2026 on the finish of the published season. We take into account Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and can retire ‘THE LATE SHOW’ franchise at the moment. We’re proud that Stephen known as CBS house. He and the published can be remembered within the pantheon of greats that graced late evening tv.
That is purely a monetary determination in opposition to a difficult backdrop in late evening. It isn’t associated in any option to the present’s efficiency, content material or different issues taking place at Paramount.
Our admiration, affection, and respect for the skills of Stephen Colbert and his unbelievable group made this agonizing determination much more troublesome. Stephen has taken CBS late evening by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in leisure, politics, information and newsmakers throughout all areas. The present has been #1 in late evening for 9 straight seasons; Stephen’s comedy resonates every day throughout digital and social media; and the published is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist.
The accomplishments of ‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ are memorable and vital in efficiency, high quality and stature. With a lot gratitude, we sit up for honoring Stephen and celebrating the present over the subsequent 10 months alongside its hundreds of thousands of followers and viewers.”
