CBS cancelled – Stephen Colbert said CBS’s cancellation of The Late Show—ending Thursday, May 21 after 11 seasons—came as a shock last July, while he also dismissed concerns about a fallout with President Donald Trump. CBS executives at the time said the decision was purely f
When Stephen Colbert heard CBS was ending his show, he didn’t react like someone bracing for a long-planned finale. He said he was lying down on his couch with a sock over his eyes when the news arrived from his manager, and that he sat up to make sure he’d heard correctly.
“Could you say that one more time?” Colbert recalled in an interview with People magazine published Tuesday, May 19. “It’s getting much realer. Every moment’s getting a little more precious.”
The Late Show will end on Thursday. May 21 after 11 seasons. and Colbert’s final week arrives with a lingering question about what replaces the franchise that has become a late-night constant. CBS is expected to retire the Late Show franchise as part of Colbert’s cancellation. with Byron Allen’s “Comics Unleashed” slated to fill the time slot.
Colbert. 62. said he tried to treat the day-to-day work with seriousness and gratitude. pointing to filming in the Ed Sullivan Broadway theater. the audience there. and the ability to work with comedians he calls the funniest people he knows. He said he also used the job to turn anxiety into jokes. describing how he made “jokes about the things that make me most anxious.”.
The cancellation itself was first revealed last July. when Colbert said CBS removed The Late Show after a decade on the air. CBS’s decision came alongside political pressure. Colbert said. after he voiced criticism of CBS’ former parent company. Paramount Global. and its settlement deal with President Donald Trump in a case involving “60 Minutes.”.
In a statement at the time, Paramount executives described the move as “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” They also said Colbert’s removal was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
That duality—financial rationale on one side, politics on the other—has followed Colbert into his final days. In his interview with People, he said he can’t control public speculation about the cancellation, but he remains unfazed about fallout with President Trump.
The president celebrated the cancellation in a Truth Social post shortly after the news broke in July, writing, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.”
Colbert addressed the comment directly. telling People. “I don’t have any fear of the administration doing anything to me.” He added. “We’re clowns. How much does it diminish the office of the presidency to even notice what we say?. That guy needs to know how to pick his battles, metaphorically and literally.”.
For Colbert, the end of The Late Show is not only a career turning point—it’s also a moment measured in physical reality. He said it takes “a lot of bone marrow” to do the show every day, and that stepping down gives him enough time and energy to do other things he wants to do.
He said he doesn’t have major career plans beyond writing a new “Lord of the Rings” film with his son. Still, he sounded optimistic about what comes next for late-night TV, even as the familiar ritual of his show disappears.
“You can’t do this forever. … Who knows, maybe CBS saved my life,” Colbert said.
The sequence has been stark: CBS plans to end The Late Show after 11 seasons and retire the franchise. while Paramount previously insisted the move was purely financial and not tied to performance or content. Colbert. meanwhile. described receiving the cancellation news in a deeply personal moment—and he framed the remaining weeks as a reminder to hold onto the audience. the routine. and the jokes long enough to close the curtain.
Stephen Colbert The Late Show CBS cancellation Donald Trump Truth Social Paramount Global People interview Byron Allen Comics Unleashed late-night television