Devastating way Stephen Colbert learned about Late Show cancellation after blasting ‘big fat bribe’ to Trump
Stephen Colbert learned that his iconic TV show was going to be canceled just one day before he broke the news to fans.
The left-wing comedian told his audience Thursday that ‘just last night’ he was informed by bosses at CBS and Paramount of the bombshell decision to end The Late Show in May 2026.
The host had began his talk show as usual from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. But just when the show appeared to be over, he shocked the audience by telling them he needed to tape an alternate cold open, according to The New York Times.
‘I thought it was going to be a fun surprise,’ fan Claire DeSantis told the paper.
Instead, Colbert announced: ‘Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending The Late Show in May.’
‘It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of the Late Show on CBS,’ he continued as soon as emphatic ‘boos’ from the crowd died down.
‘I’m not being replaced, this is all just going away,’ Colbert added, telling the audience he was just grateful to be given the opportunity to host the long–running show.
CBS and Paramount executives have said the decision to cancel the show, which first debuted in 1993 with David Letterman, was ‘purely a financial’ one ‘against a challenging backdrop in late night.’
Stephen Colbert announced to his audience Thursday night that his show was canceled
CBS also announced that it is ending the Late Show program in general
When Colbert took over in 2015, he was reportedly making $6 million each year, according to the Economic Times.
That figure increased to $15 million a year in 2019, when Colbert renewed his contract. He then signed another three–year extension in 2023, which was supposed to secure his position as the host of the historic program through 2026.
Instead the show will end at the end of the next broadcast season, CBS and Paramount executives say.
‘We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire the Late Show franchise at that time,’ they said in a statement announcing the cancelation on Thursday.
‘We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and his broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television,’ the executives continued, insisting the decision to cancel the show ‘is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.’
Yet some conservatives did not seem surprised by the news, which came just days after Colbert – an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump – slammed his network’s $16 million settlement with the commander-in-chief as a ‘big fat bribe.’
‘Colbert abandoned the precious gift of making everyone laugh in favor of nasty pandering to deranged leftists,’ wrote Buck Sexton, the co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
‘It was selfish and cowardly. He richly deserves the cancellation of his s***** show.’
The announcement came just days after Colbert slammed his bosses at CBS and Paramount for settling a lawsuit with President Donald Trump
Trump had claimed CBS falsely edited an interview with then Democratic candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election
Author Joel C Rosenberg added that his ‘left wing woke approach to comedy — not funny at all — has killed the franchise that David Letterman built so hilariously,’ and Meghan McCain decided to offer some advice to fellow late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon.
‘If Jimmy Fallon and his team were smart they would start inviting prominent republicans on as guests and treat them like humans,’ she suggested.
Others, though, found the timing of the announcement suspect – and accused the network of firing Colbert over his remarks about the president as it tries to get its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance approved by the Trump administration.
‘If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,’ California Sen. Adam Schiff – who is set to appear on Thursday night’s episode – posted on X.
Woke Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, similarly noted that the announcement came just three days after Colbert’s controversial segment – in which he appeared to dance around and openly mock his network.
‘America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons,’ she wrote, with Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington adding that: ‘People deserve to know if this is a politically motivated attack on free speech.’
Colbert has been an outspoken critic of the Republican party and more specifically Trump, who previously accused CBS of falsely editing an interview with then–presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Although the network didn’t admit to any journalistic wrongdoing, the massive settlement will cover Trump’s legal fees and his future presidential library.
Paramount also agreed to release unedited transcripts of 60 Minutes interviews with presidential candidates.
Colbert didn’t hesitate to take shots at his parent corporation, confessing in his opening monologue on Monday night’s episode that he was ‘offended’ by the actions of his employer.
The Late Night host called the lawsuit against CBS a ‘nuisance,’ and claimed that Paramount could’ve ‘easily fought it’ – citing the company’s own words calling the allegations ‘completely without merit.’
‘And keep in mind Paramount produced Transformers: Rise of the Beast. They know “completely without merit,”‘ Colbert joked, poking fun at the Paramount+ film that bombed at the box office.
The settlement comes as David Ellison’s (right) company, Skydance, looks to purchase Paramount (Pictured: David with his multi-billionaire father and GOP backer Larry Ellison)
Colbert even created a phony statement, joking that the network said, ‘You may take our money, but you will never take our dignity.
‘You may, however, purchase our dignity for the low, low, price of $16 million. We need the cash.’
The comedian went on to argue that the settlement was a ‘big, fat, bribe,’ in light of the company’s still-pending merger.
The late night host also cited an article from Puck, that claimed the merger could ‘put pressure’ on him to ease up on Trump criticisms as David Ellison – the owner of Skydance – expressed his desire to have a more neutral tone on politics.
His father, Larry Ellison, is a major Trump supporter who joined the president at the White House in January for the unveiling of a project called Stargate. It is now believed the elder Ellison is providing the $8 billion for the CBS merger, according to The New York Times.
But Colbert brushed off the gossip on his show Monday, joking that his new mustache will make it impossible for the new executives to find and put pressure on him.
