'The Late Show' is ending on May 21. Here's what led CBS to cancel Stephen Colbert, why David Letterman called the network 'lying weasels' and what's next for late-night.
Yahoo • • entertainment
Key Points:
- The Late Show, a CBS late-night talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, will air its final episode on May 21, ending a 30-year run that began with David Letterman in 1993.
- The cancellation followed Colbert's public criticism of CBS's parent company Paramount for a $16 million settlement related to a 2024 election controversy, though CBS cited financial reasons for ending the show.
- Late-night peers, including Jon Stewart, expressed support for Colbert and criticized the network's decision, while former host Letterman called the cancellation a dishonorable move and doubted late-night TV's future.
- CBS will replace The Late Show with Byron Allen's Comics Unleashed and Funny You Should Ask, with Allen's company purchasing the airtime and handling advertising.
- Colbert plans to shift focus to film projects, including a Lord of the Rings movie collaboration with his son, after the show's conclusion.
