CBS has introduced that it’s going to finish ‘The Late Present with Stephen Colbert’ in Could 2026, marking the community’s exit from late-night tv. The choice, which CBS says is predicated on monetary considerations, comes regardless of the present being one of many highest-rated applications within the late-night slot.The cancellation has drawn vital consideration, particularly because it follows a latest authorized settlement between CBS’s father or mother firm, Paramount and President Donald Trump. That settlement, mixed with Paramount’s upcoming merger with Skydance Media, has raised questions on Colbert’s future significantly given his outspoken criticism of Trump.In his return to the present earlier this week, Colbert condemned the Paramount’s settlement with Trump, evaluating it to a “huge fats bribe.”CBS nevertheless, have issued an announcement emphasizing that the present’s cancellation is only as a consequence of monetary challenges and never associated to the present’s content material, efficiency or politics.Paramount, which owns CBS, laid off 3.5% of its workforce final month. A supply near the community confirmed that falling promoting income has made The Late Present unprofitable, as reported by CNN.Colbert shared the information together with his viewers throughout a taping on Thursday night. “Subsequent yr will probably be our final season,” he mentioned. “The community will probably be ending our present in Could. It’s the top of The Late Present on CBS.”The viewers was visibly shocked upon listening to the announcement, whereas some observers instantly raised considerations about Paramount’s motivation.US Senator Adam Schiff, who was a visitor on Thursday’s present, wrote in a put up on X, “If Paramount and CBS ended The Late Present for political causes, the general public deserves to know. And deserves higher.”Colbert expressed gratitude towards CBS and the present’s viewers, saying,“I’m so grateful to the Tiffany community for giving me this chair and this lovely theater to name house. And naturally, I’m grateful to you, the viewers, who’ve joined us each night time in right here, on the market, all world wide.”“The Late Present” has been a well-liked franchise of CBS for over three a long time. Initially hosted by David Letterman, who launched the present within the Nineteen Nineties, it grew to become identified for its “High Ten” lists and quirky segments. Colbert took over in 2015 and introduced a pointy edge political humour to the present, particularly after Trump’s 2016 election.Colbert’s sharp critiques of Trump helped the present high the late-night rankings, giving CBS its strongest efficiency within the slot in twenty years. He has remained a vocal critic throughout Trump’s second time period, whilst CBS confronted authorized stress from the president.CBS beforehand ended ‘The Late Late Present’ with James Corden in 2023 as a consequence of monetary considerations. Colbert helped produce a a lot cheaper substitute present, “After Midnight” which additionally concluded earlier this yr. CBS mentioned that the present ended as a result of its host, Taylor Tomlinson, didn’t need to host one other season.
