Comedian and political commentator Stephen Colbert announced on air that CBS will cancel his “The Late Show” starting in May 2026.
Though CBS said in a statement that canceling the show was “purely a financial decision” not related to its performance or content, the announcement follows Colbert’s criticism of a settlement between President Donald Trump and Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company. Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over edits to an October 2024 interview conducted on CBS’s “60 Minutes” with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Colbert, who frequently skewered Trump on his show, called the settlement a “big fat bribe” on air. The news also comes as Paramount advances a major $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission, signaling a wider industry transformation with direct implications for network programming.
The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to air in May 2026.