If you love watching The Late Show hosted by Stephen Colbert, you will want to note this date. Its final episode before fading away into TV lore will be broadcast on Thursday, May 21, 2026, per Deadline. The popular nighttime gabfest has been on the air on CBS since 2015.
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Ironically, The Late Show landed an Outstanding Talk Series Emmy last fall before it bows out. In accepting the honor, Colbert said, "I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege to be part of the late-night tradition, which I hope continues long after we're no longer doing this show."
Its Cancellation Was Shocking
As the laughs continued in front of the cameras, so did the drama behind them. In a stunning move, the network announced in July that the show would be going dark permanently. Speculation swirled at the time that The Late Show's demise was caused by Colbert's outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump.
One instance of that, per the outlet, was when Colbert blasted "Paramount Global's settlement of a lawsuit from Donald Trump as a 'bigfatbribe.'" That was shortly before Skydance and Paramount merged.
The Network's Top Brass Denied That Politics Caused the Show's Cancellation
According to Deadline, CBS squashed the notion that The Late Show fell victim to politics. They called it "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late-night" which "is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."
Colbert Has Not Sheathed His Sharp Wit in the Run-up to the End
Meanwhile, Colbert is going out in his usual freewheeling style. He has vehemently criticized ICE in the aftermath of ICU nurse Alex Pretti's death on January 24 in Minneapolis. He was allegedly fatally shot on the street by federal agents. And one of Colbert's favorite targets continues to be President Trump.
He ridiculed the president's proposal of a so-called "Board of Peace" that nations would supposedly need to pay a billion dollars to join. Colbert jibed, "Now, admittedly, the idea of paying a billion dollars to obey Donald Trump seems a little steep. After all, CBS got to do it for just $16M."
