Colbert Reflects on Late Show End in NYT Interview

Stephen Colbert reflected on the impending end of "The Late Show" in a recent interview with The New York Times, acknowledging financial challenges in late-night television while questioning the timing of CBS's decision to cancel the program.

CBS announced in July 2025 that the show, which premiered on September 8, 2015, would conclude after 11 seasons, with its final episode set for May 21, 2026. The network attributed the move to declining advertising revenue and difficulties monetizing broadcast amid competition from streaming services and YouTube. Colbert, who has hosted the program since succeeding David Letterman, said he does not dispute the rationale. "I do not dispute their rationale," he told the Times. "I do make jokes about it. But I also completely understand why people would say, A, that doesn't make sense to me, and B, that seems fishy to me."

The announcement came shortly after CBS's parent company, Paramount Global, settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump for $16 million over an edited "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. It also preceded Federal Communications Commission approval of Paramount's merger with Skydance Media....