Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ canceled by CBS, to end in May 2026 The announcement came days after Colbert spoke out against the $16 million settlement paid by CBS News parent Paramount to settle a la

“The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, CBS announced Thursday in a statement, calling it “purely a financial decision.”

“It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” the statement added, describing it as an “agonizing decision.” Colbert took over as host, executive producer and writer of the show in 2015.

The announcement came days after Colbert spoke out against the $16 million paid earlier this month by Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump during last year’s presidential campaign.

Trump in late October alleged that his electoral chances were harmed after the network aired two separate versions of an answer given by then-Vice President Kamala Harris during an interview for “60 Minutes.”

CBS maintained that Harris’s answer was edited for time, not manipulated to make her look better. Paramount’s settlement did not include an apology.

“While I was on vacation, my parent corporation, Paramount, paid Donald Trump a $16 million settlement over his ’60 Minutes’ lawsuit,” Colbert said on his show Monday.

“As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. And I don’t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company, but just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”

He said the “technical name in legal circles” for the settlement was a “big fat bribe.”

Adam Schiff, the Democratic senator from California, said on social media that he was present at a taping of the show when Colbert announced it would be coming to an end.

“If Paramount and CBS ended ‘The Late Show’ for political reasons, the public deserves to know,” he said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/07/17/stephen-colbert-canceled-late-show-ending/